Global Food Security: The Debate over the Need for GM Technology to Ensure a Secure Supply of Food for the World’s Growing Population
For purposes of this essay, you are asked to critically analyze the arguments for and against the statement that “The genetic modification of crop plants using GM technology is vital to global food security”. Following your critical analysis, develop and clearly state your position on the need for the increased use of GM technology and relaxation of restrictive regulatory requirements for GM crops, in order to a ensure a secure supply of food for the world’s people. Your essay should be in the form of a 5-page double space font Times new roman (details are provided below).
Assigned Readings :
Read the 4 Assigned Reading list of three papers shown below and cite all three papers in your essay. Also, read and cite at least three additional peer-reviewed papers.
Fedoroff, N.V., D.S. Battisti, R.N. Beachy, P.J.M. Cooper, D.A. Fischhoff, C.N. Hodges, V.C. Knauf, D. Lobell, B.J. Mazur, D. Molden, M.P. Reynolds, P.C. Ronald, M.W.
Rosegrant, P.A. Sanchez, A. Vonshak, and J.-K. Zhu. 2010. Radically rethinking agriculture for the 21st century. Science 327:833-834.
Gleim, S. and S.J. Smyth. 2018. Scientific underpinnings of biotechnology regulatory frameworks. New BIOTECHNOLOGY 42:26-32.
Godfray, H.C.J., J.R. Beddington, I.R. Crute, L. Haddad, D. Lawrence, J.F. Muir, J. Pretty, S. Robinson, S.M. Thomas, and C. Toulmin. 2010. Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science 327:812-818.
Questions to aid in forming your opinion:
What are the predicted effects of climate change on plant physiology? How do they relate to yield? Can these effects be lessened or alleviated through biotechnological approaches? What weaknesses do GM crops have and how do they compare to non-GM crops?
How is climate change predicted to manifest in different parts of the world? Do government policies or public opinion impede or favor the use of GM crops in these regions? If policies or public opinion do not impede the adoption of GM crops, are there other adoption limiting factors, such as cost of seed or inputs? How do these factors compare with non-GM crops?
Is biotechnology the fastest method to create new crop varieties? What are alternative methods and how do they compare in terms of yield, environmental impact, ease of adoption, etc.? Is there still a need or role for crop genetic diversity or genebanks in a GM crop future?
What are the global and/or societal impacts of malnutrition? How can GM crops contribute to alleviating malnutrition? What alternatives to GM crops are available that may also reduce malnutrition?
Could changes to sectors other than food production contribute to global food security? For example, would increased efficiency in global food handling and distribution networks alone meet the global food security needs of a growing population?
Formatting:
1-maximum of 5 double-spaced pages
2 -font size of 12 Times new roman
3-Citation and bibliography follows the Council of Science Editors (CSE) Name- Year format (http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocCSE_NameYear.html)