A new report from the health organization Environmental Working Group released on Tuesday dispels many of the myths that have been propagated by biotechnology companies in defense of GMO’s.
Many proponents of GMO’s suggest that the technology will “feed the world” by yielding larger crops, however, the new report is said to debunk these claims, showing that traditional farming methods are “shown to actually increase food supplies and reduce the environmental impact of production.”
The report looked at global crop production over the past 20 years, showing just a small improvement of crop yields since the massive investment in biotechnology began. What’s more, is that those crops which did show higher yields were actually not in areas that were using GMO’s, but rather, the increase came in areas that were using traditional farming methods.
The report said that, “the dominant source of yield improvements has been traditional crossbreeding, and that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Seed companies’ investment in improving yields in already high-yielding areas does little to improve food security; it mainly helps line the pockets of seed and chemical companies, large-scale growers and producers of corn ethanol.”
The research also pointed out that low food production actually has very little to do with hunger, which is moreso the result of economic problems. As the report stated, “the narrative that GE crops will help feed the world ignores the fact that hunger is mostly the result of poverty.”
John Vibes writes for True Activist and is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war.
