The idea of biotechnology is not a new topic anymore. Although it is a new form of technology, people have somewhat used biotechnology for millennia. This can be seen in the way they improve their plants and livestock, as well as the food that they eat. Some examples of biotechnology include the use of cross-pollination and selective breeding.
Due to the evolution of technology, the field of biotechnology has ventured in on new forms that often gained negative and positive comments from critics. Here are a few of the pros and cons of biotechnology which can be used as a guide for those who wish to try this one out.
List of Pros of Biotechnology
1. Increases Food’s Nutritional Value.
According to proponents of biotechnology, this idea will be able to improve the mineral and vitamin content of food. In this manner, people are able to improve their diet without changing their lifestyles. In other words, more people can take advantage of this and will eventually end world hunger.
2. It Allows Growth of Crops in Varying Climates.
There is a huge area on the planet that is barely utilized for agriculture. The new technological advancement using biotechnology will enable colder and shorter growing climates or seasons to be used to produce particular crops. In this manner, more calories will be produced globally.
3. Reduction of Food Damage Due to Pests.
The application of biotechnology will enable scientists to generate plants or crops that are resistant to known pests. By allowing this technology to be used, pests will no longer have the chance to destroy vegetation and bring about more harvest. So even with certain weather conditions, there is a guaranteed crop production on a yearly basis.
List of Cons of Biotechnology
1. Can Be Hard on the Soil.
The production of crops using biotechnology can affect the ability of the soil to produce or grow vegetation in the future. Moreover, it will take many years for crop soil to recover in response to the two or three years of being enhanced by biotechnology.
2. Enable Unexpected Modification of other Plants.
Normally, plants already have certain levels of cross-pollination occurring in their ecosystem. Once this naturally grown plants come in contact with those engineered using biotechnology, the latter will lose sustainability. In fact, some farmers have been sued by biotech firms because cross-pollination has affected their project in some way.
3. Impact on Cost is The Same.
The cost of growing plants or livestock that has been applied using biotechnology is no different from growing natural. For this reason, the farmer will enable the same costs without implementing this new technology. This means that financially, nobody will gain from this new technology.
Final Thoughts
The evaluation of positive and negative impact of biotechnology will enable farmers to decide whether or not they will pursue implementation of new technology. If the pros will outweigh the cons, then that will be the time farmers will consider pursuing biotechnology. However, it depends on how they look at it after carefully studying its impact for future generations to enjoy.
Crystal Lombardo is a contributing editor for Vision Launch. Crystal is a seasoned writer and researcher with over 10 years of experience. She has been an editor of three popular blogs that each have had over 500,000 monthly readers.
