Green Revolution and GMOs
By: Maddie Spencer
Causes & Results of the 1943 Bengal Famine
The Green Revolution
1. Continued expansion of farming areas- Although the area of land under cultivation was being increased already, it wasn't enough to meet the needs of the food that was required for the amount of people that needed to be fed.
2. Double-cropping existing farmland- Instead of having only one crop season per year, a decision was made to have two crop seasons per year. The reason they only have one, is because of the one monsoon a year. This required another artificial monsoon to be created using large irrigation facilities and dams with the wasted natural monsoon water.
3. Using seeds with improved genetics- The Indian Council for Agricultural Research developed new strains of high yield value seeds such as wheat, rice, millet, and corn.
Positive Results of the Green Revolution
Limitations of the Green Revolution
Positives of GMOs
- Genetically modified crops taste better, stay in season longer, have increased nutrients, and can be produced in larger numbers.
- GM animals have a higher resistance to disease and overall better health.
- GM organisms are said to be more environmentally friendly because they conserve water, soil, and energy.
- Animals that are genetically modified eat less, so less money is spent on them.
- Genetically modifying some foods that feed a lot of people can help eliminate certain deficiencies, for example, rice feeds 50% of the worlds population, so genetically modifying rice to have more vitamin a could help countries that depend on rice get enough nutrients.
Negatives of GMOs
- When GMOs were introduced in 1996, the percentage of Americans with more than one chronic illness jumped from 7% to 13%. Milk with GMOs has the hormone IGF-1 which is linked to cancer.
- Studies on GM animals showed that they had organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system damage, accelerated aging, and infertility.
- GMOs allow human immune systems to become more resistant to antibiotics when they consume the animal. Some of the chemicals used to genetically modify animals are also used in antibiotics, so when consumed regularly, a person can grow resiliant to the anitibiotic.
- Inspections of GMOs are done by the producers, which means we cannot be sure if the products really are safe to consume.