Advantages
The type of GM corn used in America allows helps farmers decrease the usage of pesticides and other agrochemicals on the crops (Gewin, 2003), creating a cheaper product. Recently, a new GM corn crop was introduced which increased the yield by up to 10% (Stokstad, 2019), a massive difference on larger scales. Many scientists believe GM nutrition is the future, as the continuously growing population demands for more food (Wilcox, 2015), especially during winter when farms produce little-to-no crops. If GM corn can offer more and better food for the world, many would argue the advantages overgo most compromises.
Criticism
Risks associated with gene flow are a primary environmental concern, as they may impact local ecosystems (perhaps even on a global scale) (Gewin, 2003). Additionally, long-term research on health involves far too many variables, which poses some serious questions as to if GM foods (especially corn, since they are among the most genetically modified foods globally) inflict any negative health-related consequences.
“Given that plant DNA can last in soil for over two years, [...] long-term studies are necessary.” (Gewin, 2003)
More than 93 percent of the corn and soy planted in the United States is genetically modified in some way. Photo: Shutterstock