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Originally Posted by 81MC
Sorry I haven't read those links yet, but just a quick response.
Land usage does not equate to benefit/detriment of environment. At all.
Also, the 'feeding the planet' thing is, in my mind, incredibly misguided and off point. There's almost a billion acres of farmland in the US alone, and almost 200 million acres of it is Corn and Soy. Obesity, diabetes, general ####ty health creating a generation with a shorter lifespan than the one preceding it in North America. Millions yet again at risk due to famine around the world might disagree with the promise of feeding the world through genetic engineering. There are few places in the world incapable of sustaining any sort of food production, GE crops or not. Poorer people in North America also have a worse diet, statistically speaking. Not because they eat less Organic and Free Range, but because they consume more corn and 'meat' products by way of fast foods and cheap grocery items (which are almost all filled with corn, soy and their by products). Literally their diet is killing them, but we herald the same products as saviours of the human race for sustaining our food needs? The problem is not needing to maximize every square yard of land for yield. Rather, it's ensuring the land can continue to produce yield, without destroying everything around it Consider who stands to gain from something and how much, and who stands to lose. Consider than small farms are declining in numbers, while >1000 acres are rising.
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So your answer it to change the eating habits of 1/6th of the planets population ?? Good luck with that.
All this misguided fear-mongering over good technology is just making the issue more complex. It likely actively drives people to eating crappy. Especially if their friends on facebook make them feel bad for eating perfectly good GMO food.
This same misguided fear-mongering (from groups like Greenpeace) is scaring poor farmers around the world from adopting a technology (GMO) that could improve their quality of life (and potentially save lives).
So do you think those small farms do not jump at the chance to be more efficient ? If the GMO seed provides a 40% greater yield of course they are going to use it. Do not be surprised if many of your local Farmers Market veggies are made using round-up ready crops.
Also, I need some citations to some of the stuff you are saying. I always hear that "this generation will be the first that does not outlive the last". Let's see some evidence. Can you also use paragraphs ?