Debating The Impact Of GM Crops 10 Years On
Pastor Dale Morgan
Debating The Impact Of GM Crops 10 Years On*
In India GM cotton has increased yields by around 150 per cent, trebled
small farmers' profits, and reduced pesticide volumes by 80 per cent. In
Australia, GM cotton has also significantly decreased pesticide use
while raising farmers' yields.
by Staff Writers
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Apr 02, 2007
Is the expansion of genetically modified (GM) crops still seen as risky
or will it in fact help with the doubling of the food supply required as
Earth's population hits nine billion within the next 40 years?
The latest Ecos magazine presents the views of experts from both sides
of the debate on GM technology's role.
Ten years after the first GM crops were planted, evidence is mounting
that the technology can increase crop yields with apparently little
environmental impact, particularly in developing countries. In India,
for example, GM cotton has increased yields by around 150 per cent,
trebled small farmers' profits, and reduced pesticide volumes by 80 per
cent. In Australia, GM cotton has also significantly decreased pesticide
use while raising farmers' yields.
Anti-GM groups, however, argue that in many developing countries, GM
crops are now grown mainly for export by big farmers, not for local
consumption, and that there are big effects of this monoculture cropping.
Most Australian states, including Victoria and New South Wales, have
imposed moratoria on GM crops until 2008. But according to a 2005 ABARE
report, ongoing moratoria could result in Australia losing billions of
dollars in foregone profits over the next decade, particularly as global
warming impacts crop environments.
University of Melbourne agronomist Dr Rob Norton claims that the
vigorous seedling growth of hybrid GM canolas helps them compete against
weeds and shortens the interval to harvest, reducing exposure to heat at
the end of the growing season, and meaning less irrigation is required.
This trait would allow canola plantings to be expanded into drier areas,
potentially boosting annual Australian production of canola by 295, 000
tonnes annually.
Other stories in Ecos Issue 135 include:
Forgotten treasures: After tens of millions of years of adaptation to
Australia's arid conditions, erratic rainfall and nutrient-depleted
soils, native grasses are being recognised as a better choice for crops,
pastures and lawns than imported varieties. Native grass champion Ian
Chivers has been investigating species such as weeping grass, a relative
of rice that has a much higher protein content than rice or even
high-protein hybrid maize varieties, and which promises to be a superior
pasture crop.
Cities on the brink: Between 1991 and 2001 Australia's five leading
capital cities added two million people to their populations. Water
authorities warn that although the population of capital cities is
projected to increase by 35 per cent by 2030, water yields will decrease
by up to 25 per cent over the same time.
Professor Peter Newton, an expert in urban systems, is one leading
commentator who discusses the other main challenges facing our growing
cities - climate change, depleting fossil fuel sources, increasing
landfill and waste generation, pollution and the threat of a sea-level
rise to coastal cities.
Dreamtime business: Aboriginal communities are embracing the
opportunities presented by the growing international interest in
cultural tourism. But can Aboriginal people maintain a viable tourism
product while protecting their cultural independence and the sensitive
ecosystems in their homelands?
Outsmarting rice thieves: CSIRO scientists' research on mouse plagues in
the Australian wheat belt is helping farmers in Asia reduce rice losses
and other damage from rodents. Their trap barrier system is not only
cheap, simple and deadly, it also greatly reduces the environmental
impacts of rodenticide.
Smart metering: Forecast increases in electricity demand pose a dilemma
for the electricity industry, which will need to cap or reduce its
greenhouse gas emissions at the same time. Part of the answer is making
consumers more aware of their hourly usage with smart metering and
staggered pricing to discourage usage peaks.