GMO is short form for genetically modified organisms. It can be a plant, animal, or microbe that has undergone DNA alteration through genetic engineering. Such organisms are popular for improved quality of food; hence, plant and animal GMOs are common. They are produced by more advanced techniques than traditional breeding techniques, offering precision in breeding and wanted characteristics. The aim is to improve yields, nutritional values, resistance to pests and diseases. This process involves inter-species insertion of genes to achieve desired traits. Soybean, corn, cotton and canola are commonly known GMOs that are pest resistant, herbicide tolerant and have improved nutritional content. It has become a crucial part of modern agriculture and food production.
Applications
Agricultural plants are widely stated when referring to GMOs. There have been interventions to develop plants faster, tolerate chemicals and minerals, drought, and frost. This has made the flourishing of flora possible in their non-native environment. Soybean is herbicide tolerant while corn is insect resistant, salmon has been devised to grow larger and cattle is known to be resistant to mad cow disease. As a result, GMOs makeup about 90% of the food in the market, especially corn, soybeans and sugar beets. The genetic enhancements in the crops is not only limited to disease resistance and high nutritional values but also extends to the longer shelf life and better taste. This is directly related to their wide acceptance in the food market on a large scale basis.
In India, we have seen a rise of Bt cotton, a genetically modified crop devised to be resistant to bollworm pests. It has been widely adopted in India and has led to high cotton production, reduced crop losses and usage of pesticides. Another genetically modified crop is Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH-11) developed at the University of Delhi. It is a herbicide-resistant and high yielding variety of mustard. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) has reported it to be safe for human consumption and has approved its field trials. Its success will play a significant role in lessening India’s dependence on other countries for importing vegetable oil.
Potential applications include developing oral vaccines from corn seeds for chickens, vitamin A enrichment in rice, and vaccines from tobacco for Hepatitis B, etc.. Another aspect to explore using GMOs is the production of clean fuel and biodegraders. It has been a long journey to find alternatives to fossil fuels. Production of biofuels requires fermentation or the breakdown of biomass. Biomass is rich in complex sugars that can be broken down by enzymes. Microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast are being exploited for this purpose as an attribute to their quick multiplication. By adding genes that produce enzymes for sugar breakdown from other microorganisms into bacteria and yeast, we can adapt them to efficiently produce biofuel economically. Recent studies on oil-accumulating algal strains during deprived nitrogen levels show promising results and the oil can be used as a biofuel. Success of this method can elevate the chances of establishing protocols for clean and sustainable production of fuels.
Potential Risks of GMOs
One of the significant impacts of GMOs can be seen in the human body in future. Consumption of such food may cause diseases which are immune to antibiotics, buildup of toxins, and allergens can be emerging health risks. We are at the brink of consuming proteins in large quantities that are not a part of the human food chain. Although there are no known effects of GMOs on the human population as of yet, we can assume the endless possibilities. Changing the genetic makeup of plants and cattle to meet the food demands of an overgrowing population can backfire as they can be toxic or lethal to human beings.
Other impacts include pests developing resistance to the GM crops. Pink bollworm developed resistance to Bt cotton and caused havoc in 2008. Moreover, loss of biodiversity is a major concern. Interchanging DNA between species will reduce their natural genetic makeup. Small populations of insects and organisms can completely vanish from the ecosystem leaving disrupted food chains. Genetic modification can be hazardous to natural pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, bats. Gene transfer to non-GM plants through cross pollination can potentially lead to unwanted consequences in the ecosystem such as rise of superweeds, harm to soil health and microbial communities, increasing competition between the plants to flourish, just to name a few.
Socio-economic Aspect of Genetically Modified (GM) Crops
The parameters to be considered while critically assessing GMOs should not be restricted to health and environmental concerns. There are socio-economic impacts associated with it that should be acknowledged. GM crops have increased income for large and small scale farmers with high yields of crops. Investment in herbicides and pesticides has been reduced. Not to mention the fact that GM crops are easy to grow as compared to the traditional crops. Despite the advantages, there are certain issues in existence. Literacy has a huge role to play in farming practices of GMOs. Farmers should be educated to know their importance and proper farming procedures. The access to education is not fair and equal in most of India. Education is a luxury for the majority of farmer families. Around 32% of the population in India is illiterate making it hard to make use of GM crops and availing its benefits. Keeping in mind the obvious unsustainable characteristics of GM crops, pink bollworm developing resistance towards Bt cotton for instance, farmers are prone to suffer losses. Large scale farmers can recover their losses to some extent. However, in the case of small scale farmers who are dependent on their farms for their entire livelihood, the losses are irrecoverable. This setback affects marginalised farmers as they have about 76% agricultural households in India as per NSS report of 2019. A transpiring circumstance is corporate control over the food supply and small farmers. The dominant presence of only a number of biotech companies have monopolised the GM crop seeds and production. It has a close relevance to the situation in India where we have smallholder farmers as the major agricultural workforce.
Going forward, there is a pressing need to design regulatory frameworks for GMOs with emphasis on transparency, inconsistency and public consideration, especially in India. Labelling GMOs should be implemented, providing the consumers a choice to consume such food. Strict evaluation of GMOs for toxicity, long term health effects, allergenicity and environmental impact on biodiversity, local species can reduce the negative consequences of this technology. Focusing on India, public engagement and education is of utmost importance and can facilitate a smooth transition from traditional agricultural practices to modern ones that are beneficial and cost-effective. Small farmers should be provided with support to have fair access to GMO technology. It can further attenuate the corporate control over the food supply and its impacts while involving small scale farmers in the supply industry.
In conclusion, genetically modified organisms are a boon to humankind and solve many predicaments in the field of medicine and agriculture. Manipulation of microorganisms provides a broad spectrum of advantages and possibilities to create a sustainable environment around us. However, this technology is not perfect and comes with its own set of cons such as unknown long term health effects, loss of biodiversity, GMO developing resistance, loss of income for farmers. Unfortunately for this technology, innovation alone cannot solve all our problems as can be clearly seen from the various dilemmas in India. We are still far away from reaping the benefits of GMOs and are in need of strong policies, safety assessment, environmental monitoring, transparent labelling and access to the means of harnessing GMO technology while minimising the risks. At the end of the day, GMO production is artificial breeding and not natural selection, leaving this technology vulnerable to loopholes. Balancing innovation with safety and ethical considerations is crucial for the security of farmers and food in India.
Deeksha, is a Biochemist and an aspiring neuroscientist. Her research interest lies at the intersection of molecular neuroscience and drug discovery.
