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Critical Evaluation of Genetic Manipulation for Improved Productivity: Is This a Sustainable Agenda?

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Sustainable Food Production Includes Human and Environmental Health

Part of the book series: Issues in Agroecology – Present Status and Future Prospectus ((AGRO,volume 3))

Abstract

Despite brilliant successes that have been achieved with the applications of genetic improvement in food production to sustain large monocultures and to compete in a global market economy, the chronic crises affecting agriculture have not been resolved. An expansion of mechanized, modern agriculture with intensive chemical use has contributed to the reduction in the farming population worldwide, thus destabilizing local economies and food security. Nevertheless, the emerging bioeconomy is supporting the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops as the most advanced approach to improve the quality of life for all while successfully resolving the foreseeable, global challenges of providing adequate food, fiber, and renewable energy for a growing human population. The global area planted with GM crops has more than doubled worldwide in the last decade, especially in developing countries, and resulted in a reduction of cultivated germplasm due to the diffusion of a limited number of genetically improved varieties whose products are mainly directed toward the global market. Research foci for GM crops are purposefully oriented to make crops withstand harsh environmental conditions as the effects of global climate change rapidly alter the attributes of agricultural landscapes. Also, crops are genetically modified to yield more food, fiber, and renewable energy and to withstand the effects of pests and disease. These are additional, desirable goals of the GM research agenda, yet they can be meaningless if they are not delivered to local farmers with all the advice and integration which are the basis for achieving sustainable agriculture.

This review presents a critical assessment of GM crops, their potentialities, and drawbacks based on a comprehensive evaluation of current literature reporting both positive and negative aspects of GM agriculture. The debate on this topic is extremely relevant. Recent findings on possible risks for human health about the most diffused genetically engineered traits suggest that an application of GM technology in agriculture should not be overestimated.

Without denying the value that genetic engineering in agriculture may possess for certain agrarian contexts, we also discuss the possibility of applying sustainable crop management approaches to food production practices as a much needed alternative to increase biodiversity within cultivated fields. This and similar efforts recreate farming conditions that could make agriculture more sustainable, thus restoring ecological services useful for the entire ecosphere, while returning the added value of agricultural products to farmers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude to Dr. W. Bruce Campbell and to the anonymous reviewers whose corrections and comments helped improve the quality of our manuscript. Thank you also to Vernon Leighton for his generous assistance in locating and retrieving several of the references that were cited in this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Pasteur Hall, Winona State University, 175 West Mark Street, Winona, MN, 55987, USA

    Bruno Borsari

  2. Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, Universita’ Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, Ancona, 60131, Italy

    Davide Neri & Stefano Tavoletti

  3. Biochimica, Universita’ Politecnica delle Marche, Via Ranieri 65, Polo Didattico di Monte d’Ago, Ancona, 60131, Italy

    Gianna Ferretti

  4. Department of Economics, Winona State University, Somsen Hall, Sanborn Street, Winona, MN, 55987, USA

    William Wei-Choun Yu

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Correspondence to Bruno Borsari .

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  1. Campus Veracruz, Colegio de Postgraduados, Veracruz, Mexico

    W. Bruce Campbell

  2. Campus Veracruz, Colegio de Postgrduados, Veracruz, C.P., Mexico

    Silvia López-Ortíz

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Borsari, B., Neri, D., Ferretti, G., Tavoletti, S., Yu, W.WC. (2014). Critical Evaluation of Genetic Manipulation for Improved Productivity: Is This a Sustainable Agenda?. In: Campbell, W., López-Ortíz, S. (eds) Sustainable Food Production Includes Human and Environmental Health. Issues in Agroecology – Present Status and Future Prospectus, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7454-4_2

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