New study finds genetically modified crops won't feed world; biodiversity is key

A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development concludes that genetically modified (GM) crops have little use when it comes to feeding a growing world.

In fact, the authors of the study conclude, GM crops are hampering efforts to sustainably feed the world by jeopardizing existing biological and genetic diversity.

The study, Feeding the world: genetically modified crops versus agricultural biodiversity, also finds that research funding for genetically modified crops could be better used in supporting more sustainable methods of farming.

A major part of the total public research funds for agriculture is allotted to projects using technically advanced methods associated with scientific prestige and corporate investments, but sometimes with dubious goals and questionable impacts instead of towards agrobiodiversity solutions."

The researchers, lead by University of Copenhagen, Denmark professor Sven-Erik Jacobsen, argue that biodiversity should be a central element in sustainable agriculture and is necessary to increase food production for an expanding world population.

Genetically modified crops on the other hand concentrate ownership of agricultural resources in the hands of corporate interests in developed countries through intellectual property rights (the seeds are patented and must be licensed by farmers each year).

Additionally, GM crops are almost universally found in monocultures that deplete soil and water resources and leave local populations dependent on the success of a single harvest.

Particularly worrying is the fact that “there is a real danger that the scientific response to the global food shortage will be based exclusively on methods that jeopardize existing diversity.”

The growing demand for food poses major challenges to humankind. We have to safeguard both biodiversity and arable land for future agricultural food production, and we need to protect genetic diversity to safeguard ecosystem resilience. We must produce more food with less input, while deploying every effort to minimize risk. Agricultural sustainability is no longer optional but mandatory."

The study concludes that an objective review of current knowledge places GM crops far down the list of potential solutions in the coming decades, and that much of the funding currently available for the development of GM crops would be better spent in other research areas of plant science, e.g., nutrition, policy research, governance, and local biodiversity if the goal is to provide sufficient food for the world's growing population in a sustainable way.

Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/new-study-finds-genetically-modified-crops-won-t-feed-world-biodiversity-is-key