Within the past 200 years, the world population has grown at a faster rate than ever before. With a population of well over six billion people, we need more food now than we ever have in history. Farmers have always been on the lookout for ways to increase their yields (or the amount of crop produced per acre) so when genetically modified organisms were first created by Monsanto scientists in 1982 (Beckrich), farmers immediately recognized just how great such an organism would fit into the rapidly changing world of agriculture. These genetically modified organisms (or GMOs) could generate higher yields, leading to an increased supply of food and products created from these plants. Unfortunately, these GMOs are met with much opposition from organic farmers and consumers. Genetically modified organisms should continue to be planted, because the benefits far outweigh any negative aspects, and they can help solve future world hunger problems. The process of creating a genetically modified organism, or at least the concept of it, is quite simple. GMOs are created in laboratories by taking a desirable gene from one organism and inserting (or "splicing") it into the DNA of another. Scientists Nayak, Pandey, Ammayappan, and Prasad Ray, describe the more technical aspects of the process: The desired gene is first isolated, than it is transferred using transformation techniques into the desired plant or organism. It is possible to transform almost all the plants cultivated by man. Genetic modification can efficiently add or change a gene in a plant to give the plant a new or improved characteristic e.g. resistance to drought or enhanced nutritional properties. .
Usually, these properties are due to the GMO plant creating certain proteins. While the process may seem simple, creating these crops can take years. And, as Andrew Curry writes in "Seeds of Conflict," these labs have been recently broken into in Europe.
