GMO Research
Abstract: There is intense debate about the role of genetically modified (GM) food crops in combatting low yields and food insecurity amongst smallholders in Africa. Bt maize is still the only commercialised GM food crop in Africa and thus provides an unique opportunity for an empirical evaluation on this matter. South Africa is the only …
Abstract: The controversy surrounding genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has been a highly politicized issue in Europe. While opponents of GM crops maintain that scientific risk assessments are not sufficient to address potential long-term hazards for health or the environment, proponents have criticized the current regulatory framework for being influenced by political and other non-scientific interests. …
Abstract: Genetic modification or GMO is a new technology that assures to give food security to the developing nations. Commercial growth of genetically modified crops has been increasing very rapidly. But some disagreements are also associated of using genetically modified crops. Though GM crops promises to give the food security to developing countries, at the …
Abstract: The Genetic Modified Organisms (GMO) or transgenics could harm human and animal health and represent a potential danger to biodiverse countries. Particularly delicate is its use in a country such as Mexico, where corn and beans are originated, plants which have been converted into a food item all over the world. As to social aspects, …
Abstract: The authors discussed the prospects in application of transgenic technologies for commodity production of fish in commercial aquarium, for the use of fish as bioindikator organism with clear determinate pathological symptoms (for instance, for ecological monitoring, valuation of risk, influence of acute exposure of high doses and chronic effect of small doses of chemical …
Abstract: In general, transgenic plants carry genes of antibiotic resistance and sequences that promote the transfer of genes and instability. It is also unpredictable the site of insertion of transgenes, the side effects and the effects to non-target organism or animals in the food chain. Nor it is possible to control the expression of the …
To the editor: A News article in the July issue1 brings up some important questions about our report, Failure to Yield, which analyzes the contribution of genetic engineering to increased food and feed production in the United States, and its potential for contributing to global food security. I would like to clarify some points by …
Abstract: This paper challenges the recent hailing of agricultural biotechnology as a panacea for food insecurity and rural poverty in countries of the global South. Based on an empirical investigation of the neoliberal soy regime in Paraguay, I document how the profound transformation of this country’s agricultural mode of production over the past two decades, …
Abstract: From the countryside to the cubicle, this contribution explores vulnerabilities to genetically modified (GM) contamination of maize landraces in northern Guatemala following the DR-CAFTA (Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement). Although some industrial farmers elsewhere in Guatemala might welcome GM seeds, in this lowland refuge zone, transnational agribusiness corporations would largely face a …
Abstract: This article highlights some of the hundreds of cases of genetic contamination that have been registered in different regions of the world by the organizations GeneWatch and Greenpeace International. You will be reading about confirmed cases in Costa Rica of GMO contamination of seeds and foods imported from abroad. There are comments on the …
Text: To the editor – In their commentary “Liabilities and economics of transgenic crops” in the June issue (Nat. Biotechnol. 20, 537–541, 2002), Smyth et al. make a compelling case that the inability to control gene flow is the Achilles heel of the biotech industry. The authors offer two examples in which the inability to …
Abstract: Concerns have been raised about the potential effects of transgenic introductions on the genetic diversity of crop landraces and wild relatives in areas of crop origin and diversification, as this diversity is considered essential for global food security. Direct effects on non-target species, and the possibility of unintentionally transferring traits of ecological relevance onto landraces …
Abstract: In December 2009 the German Research Foundation published the booklet “Grüne Gentechnik” (Genetically modified crops) claiming to give a scientifically well balanced information about GMO’s in agriculture. In this paper we analyse this approach resulting in a critical review regarding the intention of the booklet. We conclude that the evaluation of GMO’s in agriculture …
Abstract: In order to developing a methodology evaluating the alimentary security of transgenic products, it has been done a ninety-days study using thirty-two BALB/c mice aging 6 to 8 weeks, where transgenic with Cry1Ab, an insecticide protein against Lepidoptera bugs was used. The animals were divided in four groups of eight; and received control diet …
Abstract: The International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) was the biggest review ever of global agriculture. It developed different approaches for alleviating hunger and poverty, focussing on the productivity of small household farms and supporting low-tech and cost-free strategies. Not long before the final IAASTD plenary, the chemical-biotech indus try …
Abstract: Advances in genetic modification technology and the production of human-altered genomes have led to an array of genetically modified organisms utilized to address numerous global issues. The human need-based development of these modified organisms often presents unprecedented phenotypes which will interact with the world’s existing biodiversity in unknown ways. One such example is Bt …
Abstract: The arguments presented by Espinoza et al. in their paper “Relationship of genetically modified crops with the environment and health of the Costa Rican human population” published in this journal (Rev. Biol. Trop. 52: 727-732, 2004) are questioned and refuted. The arguments are confronted with evidence offered by scientists and national and international independent …
Abstract: The potential for genetically modified (GM) crops to threaten biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture is substantial. Megadiverse countries and centers of origin and/or diversity of crop species are particularly vulnerable regions. The future of sustainable agriculture may be irreversibly jeopardized by contamination of in situ preserved genetic resources threatening a strategic resource for the …
Abstract: The first of the Millennium Development Goals – halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger by 2015 – is essential for eradicating poverty, as most of the poor live in rural areas. The role of agriculture is, therefore, key to the fight against poverty.Nevertheless, over the last years rich countries diminished their …
