Biotechnology in Agriculture

Biotechnology in Agriculture

It is also used for manufacturing purposes or to make "improvements" in food and animals through artificial selection and hybridization.

Biotechnology touches upon biological sciences such as genetics, biochemistry and animal cell culture as well as outside of the sphere of biology like chemical engeneering and information technology.

Main applications of biotech are in microbes, plants, animals and humans.

Although biotechnology will have a great impact on all our lives and that of future generations, like any tool, biotechnology could have negative effects, as well as positive effects.

New biotech crops cannot solve agricultural problems. Biotechnology will environmentally destroy biodiversity and drive independently sustainable farmers off their land.

Impacts on the environment: Crops that have been "improved" with biotechnology can have many positive impacts on the environment such like reduced pesticide use or improved water and soil conservation. Biotech is a key component for sustainable agriculture. There are also many environmental risks from biotech crops, for example, by the widespread use of crops with genes from the common soil bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt- a Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium, commonly used as a biological pesticide; ), scientists have discovered that insects will develop a resistance to Bt the same way they have to chemical pesticides. There may be risks to other species (butterflies) from plants with the Bt gene, but these risks aren't as high as those to do with chemical pesticides. Interests that a herbicide tolerant plant could pass that gene responsible for the resistance on to a weed species, and in this manner, confer herbicide tolerance. Intensive oversight helps to secure that environmental risks are analyzed before the plants are introduced to the environment.

Positive

The first use of biotechnology was in 1857. It converted one food source into another form.

There is currently no solution for biotechnology. Reason being is that biotech has made great progress as well as "improvements" to our everyday lives. The potential for biotech is enormous. Although there are problems with boitechnology, there are many great discoveries that have been made with biotech. We have been consuming genetically modified foods for over fourteen years. In order to discover problems that will potentially steer us to stop the use of biotech, we will have to wait as it progresses and as new developments are made.

To reduce severity of biotechnology in agriculture we, as grade nine students can do many things. For starters, we can plant our own garden without using any pesticides or fertilizers to help our plants grow, and just let them grow naturally. We can also purchase organic foods, which are NOT genetically modified, as well as products from small farmers.

Thanks for Listening!

Future benefits of food biotechnology: Products that are developed through biotech can have enhanced flavor and freshness, nutritional value and reduced saturated fat content. For developing countries, biotechnology can increase crop yields, helping to provide food and stop shortages and hunger. Given time, biotechnology can produce more healthful food products (i.e vegetables that reduce the risk of cancer).

you got to have the right genes, buddy

Impacts on world hunger: In the next 4 decades, our global population is expected to double (more than 8.9 billion people by 2050). With the population increasing quickly, we will need the amount of food on the Earth to do the same. Only 36% of the Earths surface is committed to food production. This size will not be enough to yield the amount of food needed for our increasing population. Although we could clear forests to obtain enough space, a better approach would be to use existing farmlands. Biotechnology can increase food quantity and quality by targeting the factors that can harm crops such as pests, weeds, drought, temperature, and wind. Plants from biotechnology can deal with these roadblocks and increase the percentage of crops that survive which will be harvested each year. Biotechnology can help decrease hunger worldwide, but social and economic reforms will have to be made.

Ethical and Social Questions: The cause of advancements in biotechnology has raised a number of concerns. People are uncomfortable with the ethical issues of modifying living organisms at such an essential level. These concerns are so much more apparent with animals and humans than with plant or microbes. Clear boundries have been set that scientists will not cross (such as human cloning). Looking at this from a socio-economic point of view, biotechnology can affect the relationships of the relative power in different social groups.

Microbes: allows food scientists to improve key food ingredients, such as enzymes. We have consumed an improved enzymes in cheese, improved types of yeast in bread, better bacteria for yogurt, and new therapies to fight food-borne illness all because of biotechnology.

Biotechnology?

The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity defines biotechnology as:

"Any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use."

Biotechnology (biotech) is the feild that involves the use of living organisms bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields.

Plants: we have been able to enhance the ability of plants to fight disease and pests. Some crops will have enhanced nutritional content (rice enhanced with Vitamin A that will prevent childhood blindness and/or with iron which can reduce anemia). It will also be possible to remove unwanted substances (such as allergens or saturated fats) from food. Such plant transformation is a clarification of traditional breeding - with biotechnology scientists can add or remove small pieces of genetic information in a very accurate manner, with a specific end result in mind.

By: Talia Roseshter

"Allergic reactions: The FDA considers potential allergens to be a very important issue. Developers are required to systematically evaluate this possibility. Special care is taken with genes derived from foods that commonly cause food allergies. For example, about 8% of people are allergic to foods that contain milk, wheat, some seafood, or nuts. The FDA regulations state that proteins taken from commonly allergenic foods are presumed to be allergens unless demonstrated otherwise. So far, no products on the market contain such allergens. If they do, FDA requires that they be clearly labeled biotech."-Biotechnology Questions and Answers

Animals: It has been made possible to improve the ability of livestock and pets to overcome disease and maintain health. It is now possible to improve animal feed to certify better nutrition and reduce the amount of animal waste as well as to improve animal breeding, reproduction, and growth.

Lets take a look at the negative and positive effects of biotechnology

(cc) photo by medhead on Flickr

Negative

Humans: Through advances in biology, scientists have figured out what genetic factors take part of wellness or disease. With this information, it will be possible to intercede earlier in a disease through new medicines, lifestyle changes, better nutrition, etc. Tests will make it possible to better predict the development of a disease before it begins or becomes too advanced. This will make it easier to improve prevention.

Impacts of biotech

Positive

Negative

Resources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotechnology#Agriculture

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/food-how-altered.html

http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/AB/BC/1977-Present.php

http://ukiahcommunityblog.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/myth-seven-%E2%80%93-biotechnology-will-solve-the-problems-of-industrial-agriculture/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_food - 11 Economic and environmental effects