There are thousands of insects out there. Beetles, caterpillars, honeybees and many, many more. The average farmer’s field is home to a lot of those insects. Some of them are actually good for the crop, yet a few can be harmful; these are called pests. The good insects are generally those that eat the pests, break down crop residues in the soil or, in the case of the bee, help pollinate many types of fruits and vegetables.
Pests can really damage a crop. In rare cases, they can even ruin an entire field’s produce by eating the crop or killing the plant itself. To combat this, farmers have used a variety of approaches, including the use of pesticides. Pesticides are chemicals that will prevent pests from damaging the plants, either by killing the insect outright or forming a toxic barrier around the plant so that the insect cannot feed on it.
Pesticides have some negative consequences. They add chemicals to the field that can kill beneficial organisms, they’re costly to the farmer and they can be dangerous to certain animals as well as the workers who are applying them. These are some of the reasons why scientists developed genetically modified crops that are pest-resistant. Making the plant itself pest-resistant eliminated or greatly diminished the need for pesticide application on many crops.
Food security as ‘when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life’. Every year, the world is producing more than enough food to feed its entire population, yet food security remains elusive with hunger, a continuing epidemic, especially in developing countries . Countless tons of foods are wasted through the supply chain from postharvest losses to manufacturing and retail spoilage, thereby directly threatening food security and often resulting in increased global food prices. In many developing countries, people simply cannot afford to purchase enough food to sustain a healthy diet.The increase in global population, in combination with climate change, poses a serious threat to food security as arable land becomes increasingly limited.
There is a continuous need to innovate and advance current technology to meet the demands of increasing food security, sustainability and the food supply chain. one of the main challenges in using new technology is consumer attitudes and acceptance. Over the past century, genetically modified organisms generated heated debates on its safety, regulation and ethical practice. How the general public perceives new technologies that are currently being developed and tested is an important consideration. Other considerations regarding the acceptance of new technologies are beyond the scope of science and become more ideological, eg science-resistant humans.From differing perspectives and judgments, variability in individuals’ and groups’ acceptance of given technologies that improve food security and nutrition will depend on undertaking rigorous multidisciplinary research in order to better articulate risk/benefit as well as cultural issues.
The best way to alleviate water pollution and algae blooms is prevention. This can only be accomplished through fertilizer user compliance and legal enforcement. The Environmental Protection and other state and federal government groups and agencies must patrol areas approaching buffer zones to ensure compliance. With the right communication and enforcement we can protect the environment, its water sources, and its wildlife. The Wetlands Protection Act set forth by the Massachusetts government paves the way to alleviate the problem by restricting chemical usage near waterways. However, these chemicals are still being leached, killing thousands of fish and other aquatic species. We must continue to protect our waters and its inhabitants by adhering to laws set in place. The time is now to make changes in the ways we enforce buffer zones in Massachusetts, before it is too late.
Even if GMOs are safe, the methods used by industrial agriculture have harmful side effects such...