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Introduction

I have selected the issue of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's). I chose this issue because I currently work with low-income senior citizens who are on a fixed income. Often times these seniors are forced to eat foods that are processed and unhealthy because their income does not afford them enough to purchase enough fresh fruits and vegetables to make it through a month.

Science Resources

During my research, I found several articles which covered the topic of GMOs. The first article, “Genetically Modified Organisms” by Christine Watts (2013) comes from the Salem Press Encyclopedia of Science, 2013 and discusses what a GMO is. Since the dawn of agriculture, humans have bred and crossbred plants and animals in order to achieve the desired result. With all the advancements of genetic technology genes are altered by taking a specific gene from one cell and inserting it into another cell and with splicing together two different cell fragments from different species you produce a new organism that otherwise would not exist through natural reproduction.

In the second research I chose to use for research is, “American Agriculture: A Brief History”, by R. Douglas Hurt, (March 1995). This article, which talks about how early American families who life was primarily agriculture to today where less than 2 percent of the population of the United States are farmers. During the period of 1865-1900 there were lots of changes such as the end of slavery and the growth of mechanization leading to increased demand for capital and unfair commodity marketing which left farmers suffering at the bottom of the economic ladder. This article goes all the way through 1970’s where to slogan was “Get Bigger, Get Better or Get Out”, meaning if a farmer could not meet the demands then they were forced to end their farming.

The third article I chose is, “Genetically Engineered Food Production”, by Lakhdar Boukerrou, BSc, MS, PhD (2013). This article discusses the progresses of GMOs and how they can help or hurt the human population. Scientists have developed the process to speed up the growth process to help increase production and obtain higher yields. While in some countries the use of GMOs is controversial because there has been no assessment on the effects GMOs have on humans.

Specific Question

The question I have is, “Are genetically modified foods as safe as or safer than conventional foods?” and although the jury is still out on a definitive answer, scientists feel that the food that is produced through the GMO process is as safe as the foods used to create this new species. Since there is an ever increasing population, if we are able to genetically modify food to produce a bigger, more fruitful crop in half the time that it takes to grow it naturally, then the supply would be able to solve any future demand issues. The abundance of food would help drive down the prices therefore allowing people in low-income areas who may be living in poverty to better afford fresh fruit and vegetable options over canned or processed foods.

Body

During my research, my target audience would be those of the general public and even more specifically those living on fixed incomes, such as senior citizens as well as families that live in poverty stricken areas. The one problem I foresee in communicating to this audience is the uses of scientific terminology. For example, the topic of genetically modified organisms alone could scare off the majority of the lower class for several reasons, mostly because they do not know what a GMO is.

There is no such thing as a “genetically modified organism” or GMO; genetic modification is a process rather than a final product.. ” (Genetic Literacy Project 2018 ). With evolution, all organisms will change over time. However, about 10,000 years ago, people figured out that they could speed up and direct the process by selecting organisms that had preferable traits and crossing or selectively breeding them with each other. For instance, Farmers have used breeding to improve certain traits in their crops and have looked for ways to improve the flavor, disease resistance and most importantly, they looked for a way to produce more crops in less time. This involves a lot of time tinkering in a laboratory taking the seeds of two or more different species of crops and cross-breeding them. When they are successful, the product that is created is bigger, better and grows in half the time in which the original species grows. The end result is an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.

The natural science principal behind genetically modified organisms is a tough one to answer if applied to my question, “Are genetically modified foods as safe as or safer than conventional foods?” because it is the scientists that are doing the work to alter the natural science of the products they are looking to change. Having said that, since the subject involves humans directing or redirecting natural science to produce something else that is desired, I believe it is safe to say that the natural science principle would be the experiments being conducted by the scientists to determine the benefits. Especially since scientists are able to see the effects of their experiments and alter their work to achieve the desired results.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many debates about the long term effects of eating GMOs, yet there has been no scientific proof that eating GMOs is harmful to humans. The ability to cut into gene or cut a fragment of DNA from one organism and inject or combine it with another to produce an additional trait in that organism is amazing. With this, scientists are able to genetically produce foods that are able to not only grow faster to produce more volume but can also grow in areas where it normally would not grow. This concept is a great one which will afford the ability to keep up with food demand for the ever expanding population. The only drawback as far as the safety goes is the majority of the GMO crops that are currently grown are fed to livestock, one cannot determine the effects on humans who consume genetically modified foods. However, an associate professor at Tufts' Friedman School and director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment program, Mr. Timothy Griffin spent two years with 19 other scientists, going through 900 publications at the request of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. During which time, Mr. Griffin was quoted saying, "We looked at a lot of evidence and found no apparent health risk". Going forward I would consider researching how foods can be genetically modified to alter nutritional values to make them healthier.

Hypothesis

Fruits and vegetables that are genetically modified might become more abundant and therefore help lower the price. If healthy foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables were more affordable, it would make it more available to people on a fixed incomes. To test this, I would continue to research the agriculture behind genetically modified produce to find out what the financial impact would be to farmers if mass producing a crop that grows much faster than the previous version would have on them. Considering they will be growing two or three tmes the amounts normally grown, would the cost to farm that crop be two or three times more?

References

Boukerrou, L.P. (2013) Genetically Engineered Food Production, Salem Press Encyclopedia Of Science.doi:http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/command/detail?vid=5&sid=4fa45488-d94a-4bee-a4b6-16b93c5f5f59%40sessionmgr4007

David E. S. (1995) American Agriculture: A Brief History, R. Douglas Hurt. Indiana Magazine OfHistory,(1),125.doi:http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/eds/detail/detail?vid=12&sid=4fa45488-d94a-4bee-a4b6-16b93c5f5f59%40sessionmgr4007&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=edsjsr.27791818&db=edsjsr