Question

1. Identify some of the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms and products made from them (need 2 pros and 2 cons)

Answer 1

1.GMO's have both pros and cons.

Pros like 1) GM crops have more nutrients, are resistant to pesticides and grow quickly. 2) Artificially bringing change by manipulating the DNA will save many years of research as observed with traditional breeding methods.

Cons like 1) Some cases of health risk like liver and kidney problem has been observed with the use of GM crops. GMOs can also affect those with allergies. Enough research is not done on health effects. 2) Higher levels of toxins could be produced with the insertion of a foreign plant gene.

2. According to my opinion, GMOs should be used to solve human problems but it should be brought after proper research being done. The most important role of GM crops is to ensure that there is enough to eat. Since the global population is expected to reach more than nine billion by 2050, there will be increasing demand for food. Although agricultural productivity has improved drastically, production might not be sufficient to meet demand unless we start using significantly more land, fertilizer, and water. Further the change in climate will make the situation worse. So under such conditions if we can use GM crops which are more tolerant to such harsh conditions and use less fertilizers then it's a boon definitely.