New article from Union for Concerned Scientists challenges the pro-GE argument that genetic engineering has increased production: blog.ucsusa.org/do-we-need-gmos-322 It is in this production context that genetic engineering (GE) is often said to be essential. But when we look at the assertions that GMOs will be needed to address these challenges, including from scientists in peer-reviewed articles, we find little substantive support. In other words, these statements are conjecture, not science. It is important to understand the arguments about the need for GMOs, because they make up the foundation of attempts to convince a wary public that this technology should be welcomed with open arms. Arguments for the need for GMOs are usually based on several assumptions. First, that genetic solutions are an important part of the “tool box” to improve production. GE is argued to be better, adequate, or at least needed to supplement other technologies. Second, and critical, is that technologies and methods other than GE are likely to be inadequate. Genetic improvement has been a major part of agriculture since the beginning. Small farmers have long developed crops suited to their environments by selecting seed from plants that fit their needs. And in countries like the US, about half of the huge productivity increases over the last century came from genetic improvements (the very large majority from breeding, not GE). So it is probably a fair assumption that genetics will also be important for further improvements. But the argument breaks down when considering the relative efficacy of different approaches to food security. So far, breeding continues to be responsible for the large majority of genetic improvement of crops, not GE. We have shown this in detail in our reports, but any search of the literature for traits from pest resistance to drought tolerance will reveal many important examples of breeding in recent years, while GE has brought forward almost nothing since Bt and glyphosate herbicide resistance.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 23:13:06 +0000
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