Biotech Crops Are Good For Earth

Over the past 14 years, three of the nation's biggest cash crops have quietly become genetically engineered crops. These days, 80 percent of the corn, cotton and soybeans are the products of biotech. A report by the National Research Council committee finds that crops produced through genetic engineering are on the whole beneficial for farmers who plant these seeds. Other studies have looked at public perceptions of this technology and the health and social issues that it raises. But the National Academy of Sciences noted that nobody had tried to take a broad look at how this technology affects farmers.

"We think the farmer's perspective is crucial in this," says David Ervin from Portland State University in Oregon, who chaired the National Research Council's exploration of the subject. "Because they're the ones using this technology. They have the most to potentially gain and perhaps some risks involved." "What we found," Ervin says, "is that the farmers who have adopted these genetically engineered crops have received both environmental and economic benefits."

The report also finds the farm environment benefits as farmers can reduce the use of pesticides on pest-resistant genetically engineered crops. They can also reduce soil erosion caused by tilling by instead using herbicides to control weeds.

"One of the herbicides that's very popular in the genetically engineered crops, glyphosate, is less toxic than many of the herbicides it replaces," Ervin says. However, the report finds that glyphosate, known by the brand name Roundup, may be getting too popular. Some weeds are growing resistant, a potential downside of the technology.

Source: National Public Radio, Richard Harris, 4/13/10