In the modern world we have seen more implications of hunger than we can account for. Malnutrition has introduced a whole set of concerns, such as Guinea Worm disease and deficiencies that have come to effect nearly a quarter of the global population (Green). In recent years, the food supply has reached an all time low and the communities of the world are now facing starvation like never before. Genetically modified crops are a proposed solution. Since their introduction to the food supply in the 1980s, GMOs have been a serious topic of debate (Ostrander). Most of the conflict surrounding genetically modified foods has stemmed from the extremists groups, which have started competing against Big Ag companies all over the world. The main cause for complaint comes from the lack of knowledge the public has been given in regards to what they're consuming, the absence of understanding the actual process of genetic modification, and the stigma that the food industry has assigned to GMOs. The public opinions and manifestations of doubt have overshadowed the actual benefits that come from GMOs, including increased sustainability of agricultural practices and higher crop yields. In many ways, this discussion surrounding GMOs has masked the intended purpose for genetic modification and has led to a drastic drop in funding to independent researchers outside of the multinational businesses. Because of the loss of this funding to researchers, it's possible that the benefits of GMOs may be lost to large agricultural companies who can afford the testing to put these products on the market, while the researchers trying to make a difference are suffering for support. Despite opposition, independent, non-capitalist researchers and farmers are the best hope for a thriving food industry through their efforts to create a more sustainable, safe, and effective way to grow crops and feed the world's population using genetic modification. 

Before the actual benefits of GMOs can be understood, there must be an understanding of what the debate surrounding genetic modification consists of. When genetically modified foods hit the market, many people did not have access to enough information to understand what they were, but now major producers of genetically modified products, such as Monsanto, have become household names. Along with this new awareness and the growing concern to know what is put into our food, there has been more and more opposition towards GMOs in recent years. The biggest push has been proposed by citizens in California who want to require the labeling of any products made with changes in genetic material (Prakash). In this instance and many others, protest groups are upset that the public is not well informed about the foods their consuming and wish to pass legislation requiring companies to tell people what is actually being put into our food. With obesity and health problems plaguing the United States, the processes, chemicals, and ingredients that foods are exposed to have become a general concern. Before these kinds of things became such a problem, GMOs were though to be harmless, but now an increasing number people are turning their attention to the risks genetic modification could impose. It's this concern that has lead to the centralized argument between Big Ag companies and those vying against GMOs. To be fair to these noted groups, larger agricultural companies have made it fairly simple to find the problems surrounding genetically modified foods. 

Monsanto has become the main and most problematic component of plant breeding and genetic engineering since marketing for genetically modified products began in the 1990s (Ostrander). In the past, Monsanto has been notorious for neglecting safety tests until the product has already been released to the public (Smith). As expected, these kinds of mistakes have sent independent groups running to the FDA. In addition to this, they have also created an industry that completely relies on the production and circulation of their copyrighted products: GM seeds, pesticides, and herbicides. So far, the public has noticed only two kinds of genetically engineered foods: Bt crops with insecticide proteins and herbicide crops that prevent weeds (Senapathy). Larger companies are not even advertising the development of any other kinds of products or how they've become helpful. This is mainly because the advances are not actually being made by the larger companies, but rather independent researchers and farmers. Eduardo Blumwald, a professor of cell biology at the University of California, Davis is at the center of that research (Ostrander). He has, much like many other independent researchers, gotten stuck in between the multinational corporations, organic farmers, environmental organizations, and protest groups responsible for much of the debate surrounding the GMO industry. 

People like Blumwald are trying to focus their research efforts towards finding more effective ways to produce, distribute, and harvest genetically modified products but have become the victims of "guilt by association" when it comes to GMOs. Many of the representatives from the food industry that give money to researchers have strayed away from funding projects that further the understanding of genetic modification and how it can better the food supply for two reasons: 1) They assume that the GMO industry is already funded enough because of representation from corporations like Monsanto, and 2) they see the backlash the industry has gotten from the public. Without this funding, it's nearly impossible for small researchers to make any progress in the industry of genetic modification. Blumwald explains it best when he says, "people are letting their opinions of the multinationals get in the way of the only viable solution we have," and he solely blames companies like Monsanto who have nothing but capitalists intentions (Ostrander). In many ways, this lack of information regarding GMOs has become the fault of Big Ag companies and the way they have monopolized and criminalized GMOs through their malpractices.

Other than the problems that come from the agricultural industry, there is also an issue with misinformation about GMOs and how they are made. Recent circumstances have created this need to know what we are consuming at all times. There is now a trend in consumption of organic products, in particular a group called the "super foods". Many people believe that GMOs go against this trend by creating unnatural "frankenfoods" that have the potential to cause irreversible damage to the people who consume them. The reality is that genetic modification is proven to be scientifically sound and safe in consumption. Genetically modified foods go through a process called gene selection, which by definition is, "the search for genes that produce characteristics of value to humans" (Nelson). In many ways, the process of gene selection is just a magnified version of natural selection that occurs through the evolution of different species. Despite popular opinion, there are no harmful chemicals or by-products inserted during the production of GMOs. Scientists are just influencing the growth and characteristics of crops by sharing important genes between plants (Nelson). That's what makes GMOs so unique; researchers have taken a natural occurrence and used it to the advantage of creating a more stable and sufficient way of growing food. All of the products are achieved through natural means; they just have effects that are so noticeable that many do not believe the absence of unnatural components. Results that come from these transgenic crops are herbicide tolerance, insect tolerance, improvement in the quality of crops, tolerance to different biological stress, and enhancement in productivity (Nelson). Without this process, weather such as rain and intense cold could cause serious problems for farmers and whole growing seasons could be lost with no product to show for it. One example in particular comes from rice farmers in Asia where immense rainfall was causing the rice fields to flood, thus preventing the rice plants from growing effectively. 

Through genetic modification, scientists were able to discover a gene that created a breed rice plants called Sub1 that was able to flourish, even in the intense floods (Ronald). These advantages provided by genetic modification are mainly geared towards the planting of important crops and making higher yields for those crops, which ultimately leads to more cost effectiveness and less use of natural resources, which can drastically improve the state of fertile land and not waste as we have been in the past. 

In the big scheme of things, genetically modified foods were created to serve a purpose. Despite the entire stigma surrounding the process of gene selection, crops created from these practices could change the way we view the food supply. GMOs have valuable benefits and offer several ways to help people of all interests. Probably the most influential benefit that could come from GMOs is the increased crop yields and production of foods. This is made possible through the implantations of resistance to pests, weeds, and weather during the process of genetic modification (Nelson). When the crops are so resistant to such factors, there are no real limitations as to how and where you plant the GMO seeds. Because of these factors, it has been much easier to plant crops in environments that do not have desirable climates and this makes nutritional food much more available to people who cant access it (Ostrander). Through this opportunity it is now possible to feed people in developing and impoverished countries that struggle to do so on a day-to-day basis. Also, genetic modification can eliminate a lot of the problems that come along with malnutrition and lack of food, such as vitamin A deficiency, which causes blindness when one does not get enough nutrients in the body. This has become particularly prominent in African and Asian countries whose diets consist heavily of rice products and do not have a lot of nutritional foods available. But through the introduction of a new genetically modified product called "golden rice" which increases the nutritional values present in rice, the new cases of vitamin A deficiency has nearly leveled out (Prakash). Along with this GMO and others like it, the higher production levels of healthy foods allow them to be cheaper and more available to the general public. This makes it much easier for people to have healthier diets consisting of "super foods" such as kale (Newland). But GMOs do not only benefit the people who are consuming them, they also are extremely beneficial to the planet. As crop yields have been rising, the general amount of land use has plummeted since the introduction of genetically modified seeds. There are no large obstacles in the way of the success of crops anymore, so farmers are able to rotate planting and fields less and less, which helps natural resources such as soil (Wallheimer). This ultimately gives farmers the ability to use resources that are normally highly exploited much more because they are able to replenish themselves, so this has come to aid in crop management and growth and feed the world more effectively.

Perhaps the most viable, accessible option to educate people of the benefits of genetic modification is just to provide the information. The biggest issue here is that people do not understand what actually happens when these foods are being produced, so they naturally shy away from them. It's a classic case of fear of the unknown. We've seen this in many other instances. In the past, people have feared other seemingly harmful agricultural practices, especially when pesticides and herbicides were introduced. Now, a lot of people see those products as a necessary measure for agricultural practices. If we implement some system of education about the genetically modified foods, then we can reach that same commonplace. Allowing the topic of genetic modification to be taught in common core biology or chemistry classes would be a great step towards educating the public about it's uses and potential gains. There have been plenty of instances where the education system has opened a door for discussion to remove stigma from potentially loaded topics, specifically with the many environmental concerns that we are facing today. Genetic modification and agricultural sustainability go hand in hand with discussions of that nature, so why not teach kids and teens about the possibility of GMOs? It's unfamiliar territory, yes, but the benefits to having a food industry being supported and fulfilled by the scientific advances of genetic modification is worth more than any apprehension could be. The possibility to better, and maybe even ultimately solve world hunger is being worked at every day by researchers, developers, and farmers The only thing holding progress back is the opposition of the public. 

With the continuing development and education about GMOs, it would be possible to make a great difference in how the food supply is viewed. There is currently a large problem with how food is being grown, processed, and distributed. If GMOs become a highly used component of the food we eat, then that could all change. Genetic modification opens up endless possibilities in farming and agriculture, but that can only happen if the science is ignored. If the production of food continues at the rate it's going, there's no way that the supply will be able to healthily and readily feed the projected 2050 world population of 9.6 billion people ("World Population ... "). The only way that ultimatum can be avoided is to change the way people look at food production and give researchers, farmers, and, ultimately, GMOs a fighting chance.

