GMO crops are not a sustainable solution for world hunger, and actually threaten the security of food for billions of people.
Farmers in third world countries traditionally used only local or regional varieties which were well suited to the local environment. These crops were well suited for the local climactic and other conditions, and were naturally protected from pests and diseases (through naturally bred genetic resistance or tolerance).
At some point, a third world farmer chooses to try a GM crop. This is typically because previous crops experienced yield losses from pests and diseases. These pest problems are actually resulting from bad pest management - the overuse of pesticides to which pests become resistant to.
In other words, the first world sold them the idea that pesticides could defend against pests better than cultural or biological controls, and more consistently too. When that failed as resistance and buildup of pests occurred, we sold them the idea that GM crops could defend against pests even better than chemical controls. Pests are now becoming resistant to GM crops as well.
Any pest management plan puts selection pressure on pest populations. This means you must constantly change the selection pressure to avoid a buildup of genetic resistance in populations. Farmers in the third world failed to do this, and so resistant pests overcame both pesticides and GM crops.
Two commonly used GM crops are RoundUpReady (RR) and Bt. RR crops can be sprayed with RoundUp to kill weeds, and the crop will not be damaged. So these varieties are actually just contributing to the overuse of pesticides. The transgenes which are inserted into the crop's genome are spread through pollen, and new hybrids are sometimes formed between a crop and an ancestral weedy species. These hybrids contain the transgene protecting crops from RoundUp, so we have created new varieties of weeds that cannot be killed with the herbicide. Once a transgene escapes into the environment, it may not be possible to contain it. This problem has happened with canola production in North America.
Bt crops produce compounds which kill insects feeding on them, so perhaps less insecticides are used, but the genetic pressure placed on populations is even stronger than from pesticides. That means in some instances, pests can actually overcome GM crops more easily than pesticides.
Back to the third world farmer. The reason why he cannot produce as well as a first world farmer can is mainly because of the society in which he lives. First world countries subsidize agriculture to an amazing degree, for example 1 billion dollars is paid out to farmers in subsidies every day in America. We also have very advanced research and education sectors where agricultural research continues to improve crop yields to this day, a steady trend that has been going on for literally hundreds of years (we have been a very stable, without invasion or coups). Since the British agricultural revolution, the first world has been reducing the number of people owning farms, while increasing the land area managed by few people. This specialization allows for increases in yields and productivity on a large scale. Since few people must feed everyone, the government has a good reason to invest in it. This is not the case in the third world. Most of the world's people are directly involved in agriculture. Many people feed themselves. Third world governments are not as invested in agriculture as our governments are.
Third world farmers look to us for guidance, and we allow our corporations to give them advice probably without offering them adequate knowledge of the disadvantages. Traditionally, farmers collected their own seed from their own crops. When farmers decide to convert to GM crops, perhaps they don't feel the need to collect their own seed one last time. This is a problem, because now, if the untried GM crop fails, he has no backup seeds to replant. GM seeds cannot be collected from crops by the farmer, it is illegal, and even if he does, they are often genetically encoded to be sterile and not grow at all or in the least, be very much less productive. The investment in the seeds is often very high, so the farmer may have limited financial options now.
Once a farmer loses his original variety, perhaps it is a specific variety not found elsewhere, and will never be recovered. This is actually the biggest problem associated with GM crops: the loss of biodiversity. It's bad for the farmer because if his neighbors' GM crops have pest problems, his GM crops most likely will too. This could result in catastrophic crop losses over a region, and causing famine. GM crops represent a major threat to the security of food in third world countries.
This variety is also lost to crop scientists, who are amassing a collection of seeds from every variety from every crop, even those not used agriculturally. This collection of genetic material can be used to breed for crops which are better protected from pests or more suited for their environments. This research could prevent the starvation of our species if extreme climate change occurs.
I do not consider it acceptable for Americans to use GM crops because they are supporting the technology and the companies who commit these atrocities. It is in our entire world population's vested interest that we preserve our crop biodiversity. If for no other reason, this is why we should not use or support GM crops.
That being said, there is but ONE instance where I agree with GM crop production, and that is with Golden Rice, a variety which produces Vitamin A to compensate for Vitamin A deficiency, which often causes blindness in children in Asia.
Source: B.S. in Agronomy
:
