GMO or Organic? The Debate

            There is much debate on the value of GMO plants. While GMO plants usually use less resources, such as water, than their organic varieties, and require fewer sprays, opponents of GMO plants say that the genetic structure of food is varied and complex and that importing foreign genetic material will have unknown effects on the human consumers.

Pro-Organic: Organic food is generally healthier.

Studies comparing organic and conventional food generally say that the organic variety is healthier. For example, two British universities studied milk from 36 farms over a three-year period. After this period of constant researching, they discovered that organic milk has 68% more omega 3 fatty acids than conventional milk. On some level, humans have always known that. Cows eating green grass and clover will produce higher-quality milk than cows eating bakery waste and Doritos. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences conducted a study in 2002 comparing children who ate organic food to children who ate conventional food. The children who ate organic food had "significantly lower" levels of organophosphorous pesticides. Organophosphorus pesticides cause thousands of deaths in the developing world. However, the USDA and the FDA say that no conclusive evidence shows that organic food is healthier.

Pro-GMO: GMO plants are generally more disease-resistant and need fewer resources.
            While proponents of GMO plants say that GMO crops need fewer pesticides, that is not true. GMO crops grow resistant to pesticides over time and require more pesticides. However, GMO crops are hardier because they can withstand pesticides that would normally kill non-GMO plants.

            Although GMO plants require more pesticides, they are stronger than non-GMO crops, as shown above. Some GMO varieties of wheat and barley are resistant to blight. GMO crops are also superior because they can resist drought or soil with high salt content. One particularly profound example of how GMO crops are superior in one way is with India’s food crisis. Older wheat varieties were not capable of feeding enough of India’s large population. GMO varieties helped increase India’s wheat production by more than 70,000,000 measurement tons from 1960 to 2010.

Non-GMO, non-organic plants

These crops are like a transition plant from fully organic to GMO. However, there are few benefits. These crops may have more nutrients than GMO plants, but they are often sprayed heavily.

Conclusion

This article only describes a few issues concerning this debate. Other articles will soon follow, detailing some other conflicts surrounding GMO plants.