GM Crops and Their Impact on Food Production

• GM crops can combat hunger by modifying plant genomes.

• Tools like CRISPR aid in targeted changes to a plant’s genome.

• GM crops are accepted when the plant lacks foreign genes.

• High costs of regulation and ensuring no harmful products enter the market are too high for non-profit institutions.

• GM crops can be modified to have higher yield and/or more nutrients.

• GM crops have helped farmers practice sustainable methods while increasing food production.

• A review found negligible adverse health effects of consuming GM crops.

• Insecticide-resistant crops have shown low levels of risk and resulted in less insecticide use.

• Pest resistance to the Bt toxin can lead to increased pesticide use.

• GM crops are designed to resist specific broad-spectrum herbicides, benefiting farmers by reducing labor and money required for mechanical weed removal.

• No-till agriculture reduces carbon emissions by reducing tilling.

• Major companies in the U.S. are developing most HT crops, giving farmers little control over the herbicide they use.

• The increased use of herbicides is driven by weeds rapidly developing resistance against herbicides.

• Crop rotation can help reduce reliance on agrochemicals and lower resistance.

• More data is required to assess the true impact of GM on biodiversity.