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aquitaine
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How do GM crops (both current and potential in the near future) compare with organic in terms of output per acre? How does it compete with such methods as Fukuoka Natural Farming, and other forms of permaculture?
aquitaine said:If no one has numbers then a general assessment would be ok. Even an opinion would be welcome also.
Several animal species have already been genetically modified, and at least eleven have been cloned, though some scientists doubt the health of those clones that survived to birth.
Some of these efforts are commercial, either for agribusiness or for sale directly to consumers as pets. Others are scientific experiments, usually defended as advancing, directly or indirectly, the cause of medicine for humans.
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The Roslin Institute, where the first mammal was cloned, maintains records of all published mammalian cloning experiments up to July 2002 - 50 papers detailing 68 experiments, with 386 surviving clones. They conclude that the "overall efficiency of cloning is typically between 0 and 3% (number of live offspring as a percentage of the number of nuclear transfer embryos), irrespective of the species, the donor cell type or technique." There is no evidence that efficiency has significantly improved since.
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"Pharming"
Cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits and pigs have been genetically modified with the aim of producing human proteins that are useful, generally as medicines. The gene transfer process is typically very inefficient, and cloning is seen as another way of propagating the GM animal.
A 1999 USDA report cited estimates that there was a $24 billion market for human proteins, and theoretically 600 transgenic cows could supply the worldwide demands for some drugs. In practice, however, several companies that have pursued this line have gone bust, and the profit potential seems less than it once did.
Genetic modification of animals in order to improve the prospects of organ transplants is also being investigated.
mgb_phys said:Remember as well that most commercial crops are already pretty heavily genetically modified as a result of centuries of careful breeding. I would expect GMO versions of wheat,maize etc to show the smallest advantage just because of the law of diminishing returns - there isn't much left to optimize.
mgb_phys said:Yes there is a difference - I just meant that the biggest changes wouldn't be in intensively farmed crops because they have already been changed so much.
There is also a difference between the promised benefits of GMO (drought resistance, natural pest resistance) and what has been delivered (crops that can withstand, and need, 10x as much weedkiller or require a specific company manufactured fertilizer to grow)
Now there's a solution to the middle east - everybody so pissed/hungover they can't fight.baywax said:Yes there's been so many millennia of agriculture to change the wheat and the barley. Did you know the average Sumerian, 7000 years ago, drank 1 gallon of beer a day?
mgb_phys said:Now there's a solution to the middle east - everybody so pissed/hungover they can't fight.
GM crops, also known as genetically modified crops, are plants that have been genetically altered in a laboratory to enhance certain traits such as pest resistance or higher yield. Organic farming, on the other hand, refers to the cultivation of crops without the use of synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or genetically modified organisms.
The output per acre for GM crops is generally higher than that of organic farming. This is due to the genetic modifications that allow GM crops to resist pests and diseases, resulting in a higher yield. However, the specific difference in output can vary depending on the crop and growing conditions.
While GM crops may have a higher output per acre, organic farming is often considered to be more sustainable in the long run. This is because organic farming practices promote soil health and biodiversity, which can lead to better yields over time without depleting the land.
There is ongoing debate about the potential health risks of consuming GM crops. Some studies suggest that consuming GM crops may have negative effects on human health, while others argue that there is no significant difference between GM and non-GM crops. More research is needed to fully understand the potential health impacts of GM crops.
The use of GM crops can have both positive and negative environmental impacts. On one hand, GM crops can reduce the need for pesticides and herbicides, which can decrease the amount of chemicals released into the environment. However, the long-term effects of GM crops on the environment are still being studied. Organic farming, on the other hand, has been shown to have a positive impact on the environment by promoting soil health and biodiversity.