The world’s population is expected to grow to 9 billion by 2050. A significant challenge in sustaining this population would be ensuring a steady, secure supply of food. Genetically modified organisms have already been proven to be a useful tool in reaching higher levels of agricultural efficiency. Although I am in favour of the use of genetically modified crops, I believe that the management of this technology could be more efficient.

A really popular example would be Roundup Ready soybeans, developed by Monsanto. Farmers originally used herbicides other than glyphosate to manage weeds on their farms, since glyphosate also affected the crops that were grown. However, with roundup ready soybeans, the genome had been modified to include a gene that encoded for a glyphosate-tolerance enzyme. This allowed farmers to use glyphosate, without worrying about the negative consequences it may have on yield. Additionally, glyphosate is considered relatively safer than other herbicides. It also reduced the effort required to manage weeds or prepare fields for crops.

However, the introduction of this technology also had consequences. Naturally, more farmers chose to buy Roundup Ready soybeans, as it was a safer, more efficient alternative. Since Monsanto had patented Roundup Ready soybeans, it was the only supplier of these seeds. This led to a single company having a monopoly of the seed market, for soybeans. The company was able to inflate the prices. Additionally, farmers were not allowed to save seeds for the next growing season, forcing them to buy new ones next year. Another issue would be that since glyphosate would not affect the crops, there might be excessive use of the herbicide to ensure that that there is no growth of weeds.

The issues surrounding transgenic salmon are pretty similar. It would have the benefits of increasing the amount of salmon production, which would meet the current demands more effectively than fishing. There are issues that would have to be resolved/thought about: management of the waste produced by the fish, the ethics of aquaculture and the monopolisation of the salmon industry (Which would affect relatively small-scale businesses).

Overall, genetically modified organisms have the potential to increase the efficiency of food production. However, the management of these crops or animals could be improved or regulated to prevent damage to the environment or the formation of monopolies.