Why Natural Farming is better than Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) - Research Paper Example

Why Natural Farming is better than Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)? I. Introduction In the book of Michael Pollan The Omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals he opened his narration with what is to be had for dinner. It was an excellent narration to illustrate the various sources of our food that can be had either from industrialized farms which utilizes GMO, to large scale organic farming to hunting (2006). In the same vein, the movie Food Inc by Robert Kenner Food Inc. demonstrates how industrial food makers through the massive use of GMO corn have altered our eating habits. Both the book and movie illustrated that industrial farm factory does not reveal the true cost of our food. While it may initially priced to be cheaper, the true cost is concealed in terms of undermining our health and the environment. This was more vividly illustrated in the movie Food Inc. where corn are also being fed to cows which is now fast becoming as part of our staple food causing us obesity and other health issues. The lethal contamination of E.coli that was induced by cows being in their manure during production was also illustrated with a kid dying just few days after consuming a contaminated burger. In effect, both Pollan’s book The Omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals and Robert Kenner’s movie Food Inc. illustrated that the source of our food is becoming a factory and is no longer grown the way it used to be. Worst, industrial farm factory and the use of GMOs are even packaged to be a better food source than organic farming (2008). Perhaps it was to illustrate the importance of organic farming over factory farming that uses genetically modified corn that Pollan showed his fascination on a farm where different species can be raised together in a theme of symbiosis (Pollan 126). The grower called himself a “grass farmer” to demonstrate that grass is the foundation of the intricate food chain. II. The rise of the Genetically Modified Organism agricultural products The debate over organic farming and Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crop farming is still as intense when GMOs first caught the public attention. Each mode of farming the crop are pushing its advantage over the other as a better source of food with GMO gaining wider acceptance because of its putative efficiency in producing the crops. Genetically Modified Organism came to public attention in September of 2000 when the business section of the New York Times ran a frontpage story about an issue in the food supply. A new genetically engineered corn that contains a protein Cry9C which was supposed to be used as an animal feed was found in a nationally sold tacos (Kelso and Takahashi I). Despite of the issue, genetically modified crops have gained wide acceptance in the United States that it now contains more than 40% of soybeans, cotton and corn that is sold in supermarkets (Sakko). Crops have been modified to grow efficiently requiring fewer herbicides with some crops designed to be resistant to insects and pests. There were also crops whose genomes were altered to produce certain vitamins such as the Golden rice which has been said to contain Vitamin A. Genetic alteration is not only limited to crops but is also used in trees and other animals (Sakko). III. The debate: why natural farming is better than Genetically Modified Organism? The most common reason used by the proponents of Genetically Modified Organism factory farming is that they are cheaper to produce and is a practical option to provide food to people worldwide (Royal Society of Chemistry). They are also said to be efficient because crops can be improved through genetic engineering to become more resistant to pests with an enhanced nutrient value at a lower production cost. Proponents of GMO’s are also highlighting the advantage of genetically improved crops to be more profitable because they can be grown faster. Proponents of organic farming on the other raised the advantages of organically raised foods over genetically altered crops. To name, they are; a. Foods grown through natural farming is poison free Food factories, which are the plantation of genetically modified crops use pesticides and herbicides. This is despite the fact that some crops are genetically engineered to be resistant to pests and insects. On the other hand, foods that were grown through organic farming are free from contamination that is present in GMO crops. It instead, as a method of farming, enriches the soil over which the crop is grown and re-mineralized for it to develop a natural resistance to pests and insects. b. Naturally grown foods are still more nutritious Despite the claim of genetically modified crops that certain vitamins and nutrients can be enhanced, naturally grown foods are still far more nutritious. Organic farming by method enriches the life of the soil where crops are grown and this facilitates the absorption of its nutrients by the crop. On the other hand, the soil over which GMO crops are grown are mono-cultured which are strewn with chemical fertilizers which then later absorbed by the food resulting to an inferior nutritional value, albeit it was suppose to contain some vitamins compared to the naturally grown organic crops. c. Food grown through natural farming tastes better The taste and quality of the crop is dependent on its sugar content which is a function of the quality of nutrition which the plant or crop has enjoyed. Organic crops, having a much richer soil to grow on taste far better than genetically altered crop. This can be measured through Brix analysis (used in testing the quality of fruit and vegetable prior to export) where a fruit and vegetable’s juice is measured of its specific gravity. d. Naturally grown foods can be kept longer Organic crops structural and metabolic integrity of its cellular structure is far more superior than those “frankenfoods” because their genetic structure has not been tinkered and altered. This can result to a longer shelf life of an organic produce compared to a genetically modified crop that can easily rot. e. Organically grown crops are in fact more productive and profitable than GMOs In contrast to GMO crops, a plant that has been grown organically in a balanced and enriched soil can resist most pests and insect without the usage of chemical pesticides and herbicides. In effect, organic crops have lower input cost because it does not require the use of expensive chemicals to repel pests and insects. The chemical fertilizers which render the soil sterile are also not needed in organic farming because it can be replaced by composting manure and leguminous crop rotation in addition to worm farming. This creates a living and fertile soil that re-mineralizes at a minimal costs to the grower. It is interesting to note that United Nations’s recent report about GMO and organic farming concluded that small that small-scale eco-farming reliant on natural growing methods works better than GMO and other pesticide-based agricultural systems at producing more and better food -- and if implemented on a wider scope, small-scale farming could double the world's food production capacity within ten years. (Huff). It only meant that GMOs are not the best option in providing large scale quantity of food as it claims to be. Recent scientific evidence reported that agroecological methods are better than the use of chemical fertilizers in increasing food output. Recent projects studied by the UN showed that crops yield 80 percent increase in 57 developing countries with a 116 percent increase in all their African projects. In this latest study of comparing the output of organic farming and GMOs, it reported that by utilizing nature’s own balance, it can evade pests and improve harvests. The combination of certain plants, animals and insects such as vividly described in Pollan’s The Omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals, can improve yield output and eliminate pests. Its output outperforms than those seeds sold by GMO companies such as Monsanto that requires heavy chemical applications to grow. The recent report also proves that organic farming can be more profitable than GMO farming. With an increased production that outperforms GMOs with a produce that consumers are willing to pay premium prices, organic farmers stand to gain more contrary to what the proponents of GMO claims. IV. Conclusion: the danger of Genetically Modified Organism The recent study by UN had clearly debunked the myth that GMO is a better solution in providing food on a massive scale because of its higher production output (Huff). The study showed that by harnessing nature, crops can yield far more production than altering nature. The chemicals, either for fertilizing the soil or repelling pest and insects are not really necessary because nature has its own way of providing the right condition where crops can grow without the disturbance of pests. We knew this all along only that big business thwarted this to serve their interests of profit as what was illustrated in the case of Monsanto in the film Food Inc (2008). More importantly, it is more beneficial to us to work with nature than to tinker its genome which we barely understood. What we understood about GMOs are only its short term implication but not its long-term effects. Credible scientists have long warned us against the unnatural consumption of GMO food because we do not know yet its long term effects (Wolf 43). Even, genetically modified corn that has been used in feeding cows, and a myriad of our food has already showed its ill effect of inducing obesity. Yet, those who pushes for genetically modified foods does not want to disclose or admit that the kind of foods that they are peddling are not healthy as they claim it to be. But this is to be expected, in the film Food Inc. As Salatin puts it in the movie Food Inc., “the industrial food is not honest food. It's not priced honestly. It's not produced honestly. It's not processed honestly. There's nothing honest about that food”. The recent report of UN is also a happy development because it provides the answer that organic foods are better than GMOs and put our food consumption in proper perspective. We can only hope that big business will no longer be successful in convincing us consumers that their “frankenfood” is better than those that is grown by nature. Works Cited Huff, Ethan A. "Eco-farming outperforms GMOs at improving crop yields and growing more food, says report". NaturalNews.com. April 01, 2011. Web. http://www.naturalnews.com/031917_eco-farming_crop_yields.html Kenner, Robert, Elise Pearlstein (Producer). Kenner, Robert (Director). Food Inc.[Motion picture]. United States: River Load Entertainment. 2008.  Pollan, Michael. The omnivore's dilemma: a natural history of four meals. New York: Penguin Press, 2006. Print.  Royal Society of Chemistry. Organic food is healthier and safer than food produced conventionally”. Web. 2011. “http://www.rsc.org/Chemsoc/Chembytes/HotTopics/Organic/OrganicHealthier.asp Wolf, Robert. “Industrializing Agriculture”. The North American Review, 2000, 285(1):43-48. Published by University of Northern Iowa. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25126427 Read More