What do you know about GMOs?

What do you know about Who grows it? A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism altered to incorporate genes with a desirable trait. GM crops are plants whose DNA have been genetically modified and used in agriculture. GMOS? % World GMO Crop Area by country 6% India Genetically Engineered... to do what? Who owns it? Biotech patent ownership 50% > Commercially In Research Monsanto 14% USA GMO crops, as a % of total biotech area Enhanced Nutritional Content Public Beta-carotene producing "Golden Rice" to help with widespread Vitamin A deficiency in developing nations. DuPont 13% Insect- Resistant cotton (11%) Sector 24% Herbicide Tolerant 17% (HT) Soybeans (47%) Syngenta 7% Salination and Drought Tolerance t Drought will likely cause salination of arable lands by 2050. Promising genetic modifications to corn will increase heat and salinity tolerance. Argentina 13% Brazil Bayer 4% Other Dow 3% (19%) HT & Insect- Resistant corn (23%) Non-food Applications ED GMOS are being explored for medicine (vaccines, monoclonal antibodies) and industry (biofuels, plastics). Rest of Private 9 of every 10 farmers planting GMOS are resource-poor and living in developing countries. Sector 33% the good the bad and the ugly Reduction in Can produce Benefits for Concerns about Concerns with Superbugs and The conversation is insecticide use higher yields farmers health P ownership superweeds confusing & sensational To varying degrees, GMO crops have produced higher yields, largely due to improved pest control. Many GMO farmers have experienced increased profitability, decreased ex- posure to pesticides and improved crop manage- Use of an allergenic protein in a GMO crop could result in allergic reactions. The WHO raises concerns about Herbicide-resistant weeds As adoption of insect- resistant crops has increased, insecticide usage has decreased. GMO opponents are con- cerned that corporations will charge unreasonable rates for GMOs and subse- "In the debate over biotech crops, differenti- ating fact from fiction is not easy. The debate has been confused by the influence of rigid, absolutist views (both supportive of and opposed to biotech crops). --International Food Policy Research Institute and insecticide-resistant bugs can arise from the use of the HT and Bt potential gene transfer of antibiotic resistance. quently hurt economies and the viability of small farms. GMOS, potentially negating many future GM benefits. ment. In the 90s, Hawaii's papaya industry faced a crisis as the due to the Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV). A GMO variety of papaya In the US, there is no mandatory labeling of GMOS. While an estimated 70% of foods sold in the US contain GMOS, the lack of labeling prevents consumers from making an informed decision. Can provide defence against Lack of Major GMO producers are aggressive disease with resistance to PRSV saved the transparency hard to trust industry. Much of commercially available GMOS are from Monsanto, who has violated the public trust over PCBS and other issues in the past. Without proper regulation, GMO opponents fear that companies producing GMOS will prioritize profits over human welfare and the environment. "Agricultural biotechnologies provide opportunities to address the significant challenges of ensuring Gene transfer from GMO crops could contaminate non-GMO crops and wildlife. Genetic modifications world problems could create super-invasive species. Opponents are concemed about these and other unknowns. May help fix big May cause big world problems food security without destroying the environmental resource base." -- Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN Sources: FAO :: WHO : Nature : American Phytopathological Society :: National Academy of Sciences : WSJ.com: ISAAA : St George's University of London :: washingtonpost.com Full sources available at visualism.org Created by Visualism.org