Zedge | Forums: organic food or genetically modified - page 1

Joined: 7 Jun 08
From: Philippines
Posts: 64

Post #119 June 2008, 01:43

what do you prefer and what is more beneficial to our current situation where inflation increases everyday day???is it the end of the era of cheaper food???

angeliclucero

Joined: 18 Jan 08
From: United States
Posts: 8030

Post #219 June 2008, 16:10

I prefer organic food because hopefully less chemicals are used. If the price of energy remains at this level or goes even higher the era of cheap food is over. The most unfortunate result of this will be less help for those areas of the world already struggling to feed their population.

soundcube16

Joined: 26 Jun 08
From: Philippines
Posts: 216

Post #35 July 2008, 00:17

organic food is still better than those genetics....

organic foods have the best nutrients your body needs.

inflation wouldn't be a problem if everybody starts planting something for their own consumption..

Reiman

Joined: 25 Dec 06
From: Philippines
Posts: 3307

Post #45 July 2008, 02:05

I prefer organic. But....

Let me just clarify that by "going organic" it does not simply mean not putting inorganic fertilizers on plants or not feeding animals with synthetic growth boosters. It means that their genetic structure has been modified (either to supply vitamins, provide higher yield, or in animals, to increase lean meat).

But there are some cases where applying biotechnology is necessary. Here are also some facts:

For cash and food crops, organic materials cannot provide the same yield advantages as inorganic inputs or genetically modified food crops. Lets face it. There are fewer land to plant on and the sheer volume of the worlds population is increasing exponentially. We just can't feed so many people while farming on small land areas. Organic materials take months, even years, just to realize its full yield potentials. The amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium contained in organic materials are so minute that it will take tons of it just to provide the same nutrient given by a few kilos of inorganic fertilizer.

Commercial organic fertilizers are expensive. Most farmers in third-world countries cannot afford them. They are also high in lime which can possibly harden the soil.

Inorganic materials like fertilizers act the same way as organic. It has to be broken down into stuff the plant can absorb.

Recent studies has shown that using inorganic fertilizers and pesticides (wisely) has no effect on the soil's sustainability. This was conducted in my company and the International Rice Research Institute, and the study has already spanned 40 years. The soil does not become less fertile or acidic.

Before genetically modified food products can be released, it takes years of study and will not be approved if it has adverse effects on the human body. Normally it takes 10-15 years of stringent tests and demos before any GM crop is released. And the standards are so strict that only a few products make it out of the pipeline.

In a nutshell, we cannot totally dismiss the importance of biotechnology (GE food in general) in agriculture.

This post has been edited 3 times. The last edit took place 05.07.08, 02:11.

beans_wap