Food crunch opens doors to bioengineered crops

Danger, danger, danger! The genetic modifying of food sources is already killing people! Anything for a buck!

This is a biased article that doesn't even touch the harm that the big agra companies have perpetrated without approval from the unknowing public. In India, 140,000 farmers have committed suicide due to pressure to use "terminator seeds" from big agra, which eventually placed them in serious debt which they could not repay...so many are still taking their lives. It is pathetic but corporate farming/control does not care one iota. Even a cursory knowledge of "cause and effect" should deter these companies from their nefarious activities...but evidently this simple law is unheeded. Consequences follow each and every decision made, Mr. Money Man. If it is not now, you'll get yours by a different court.

The creation of GMO plants and animals is pretty sick in the head. Pure greed for control of seed supplies, patents on living animals, and the like, drive this sickness. Check out: http://www.geneti...tte.com/
There's already enough frickin' food. Profit driven distribution problems and dysfunctional governments and battling ethnic groups is what drives starvation. Future generations will look back on this age in horror, and genetically modified life for humans to eat will top the list of reasons why.

Danger, danger, danger! The genetic modifying of food sources is already killing people! Anything for a buck!

There isn't any commercial crop (or animal) that has not been genetically modified by man. Look at the difference between maize and the corn you by in the store.

What are all you people whining about? Every single crop, fruit or animal that people use has been genetically modified for centuries through breeding. Genetically modifying organisms through gene insertion is a way to do this faster and with more potential.
The only bad things happening now is companies like Monsanto exploiting farmers, but China and other countries seem to be circumventing this by producing their own varieties without the prices Monsanto charges.

I think bioengineering crops has great potention, it's time we do something about our unhealthy diet throughout the world. Maybe the West needs this even more than thirdworld-countries, although we would and should make this technology beneficial to all of us.

Welcome tasty, healthy and abundant food..

Hunger and nutritiondeficiency, be gone!


(PS. maybe I'm too big a idealist, and too little a realist)

We need to learn how to manipulate our environment and ourselves at a molecular level to take control of our destiny. Genetics is an obvious stepping stone. Conciousness will strive to know itself. To know itself is to be able to change itself. And... You are what you eat... ;)

Another opportunity for the third world Luddites to starve. Who manipulated their genes that they aren't Neanderthalenses?

Another opportunity for the third world Luddites to starve.

You've got it backwards, the third world is who the overpriviliged first world luddites desire to starve.

I hate how the public can't get it's head around GMO safety. We know exactly what we are doing. I don't know why there is this perception that genetics is somehow over our head, but it's getting really frustrating.

I don't know why there is this perception that genetics is somehow over our head, but it's getting really frustrating.

Well, the deep greens have been very active in trying to misinform the public and especially in trying to force Africa to use all organic, unmechanised subsistence farming. Even to the extent that they've managed to convince Zambia not accept food aid during a famine because it was genetically modified corn.

They're terrified that we could have another United States or Europe.

The old hippies from the 60's had balls; many of them actually went out and lived the lifestyle they were preaching. Todays deep greens are just genocidal hypocrites.

In general I tend to agree with Soylent above, eg. "Well, the deep greens have been very active in trying to misinform the public". Only one concern on future food still worries me. What is humankind going to do when the phosphorous runs out? (known resources will last about 70 more years at present rate....)?

What is humankind going to do when the phosphorous runs out? (known resources will last about 70 more years at present rate....)?

That's incorrect, reserves plus reserve base of phosphorus is some ~3 centuries at present rate. That's only what has been discovered and is economical to extract with current technology. If the price of phosphorus increases or the cost of mining is reduced by improved technology you can mine more marginal resources and the amount of phosphorus ultimately recoverable is increased.

There's more than enough phosphorus available for mining companies for the forseeable future so mining companies do not have an incentive to spend significant sums exploring for additional reserves.

If phosphorus recovery technology becomes more economical(e.g. from sewage treatment plants or farm run-off) you don't need as much new phosphorus.

Conventional farming is free to use any method available wherever it make sense; "organic" farming is just a set of largely arbitrary restrictions on which methods you may use.