The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says that the world needs to have a 70% increase in food supply by 2050.  Despite this necessity for more food the world continues to develop land every day. Therefore, the world must come up with a solution to increase food supply on a shrinking supply of farmland. Crops need to be grown in places that get little water or are infertile. GMOs can help to solve both of these issues and should continue to be a big part of the food supply. Some argue for outlawing GMO’s because they could be unhealthy, but there is little to no research to suggest this. GMO’s should continue to be a big part of the food supply because they can support a decline in the chemicals used on crops, can significantly increase yield, and can promote growth in places that have trouble growing crops.

            Although some argue that GMOs are unhealthy, studies show that GMOs require the use of fewer pesticides. Some GMOs are modified to fight off pests themselves so added pesticides are unnecessary. According to Pamela Bailey, CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers association, genetically modified plants are more environmental friendly. She says that from 1996 to 2011, GMOs have decreased pesticide applications by over a billion pounds. There was recently a bill passed requiring all food companies to put a label on their food saying that it contains GMOs. This only misleads the consumers into thinking GMOs are a health risk. Many food companies have decided to change their products because of this. This will drive prices up on groceries because of the scarcity of non Genetically Modified ingredients. The potato is the most popular vegetable in North America. If no chemicals are used, a significant amount of the potato crop is lost to the Colorado potato beetle. According to the USDA, 20 to 40 million dollars a year is lost trying to control this beetle. Researchers say that 30-40% of this could be reduced with a genetically modified, insect-repelling potato. This would not only save money but make potatoes healthier all across America.

            Germplasm is the genetic makeup of a seed that determines how a plant will grow. A crop’s germplasm can be modified to increase that crops yield. Crop yield is the amount of crop harvested per amount of land. This allows farmers to harvest more on a smaller amount of land, which is very important with the increasing development in the U.S. and across the world. Even before Biotechnology farmers were trying to use crops that had the best yield possible. Biotechnology allows for a better overall plant. Biotechnology allows you to get a mix of traits that would be impossible through traditional breeding. Usually GMOs allow for traits such as herbicide tolerace and insect resistance so the plants will grow better. In India they have seen yield increases of 50% on average of genetically modified cotton. Also Hawaii has a 40% increase in genetically modified papayas that prevent viruses. Without these GMOs there would be a detrimental decrease to the already low supply of food. If the average yield went down prices would sky rocket for groceries.

            Studies have shown that the use of GMOs would lead to the potential growth of plants in places where they can’t usually be grown. Also it would be a lot easier to grow GMOs in a place in which the soil isn’t very good. Crops can also be genetically modified so that they will grow in harsh conditions. They can be modified to grow in places that have a scarcity of water. This would increase food production drastically and begin to help the third world countries that suffer from a lack of food.

Washington's Food Fight: The Debate over GMO Labels. Prod. TVW. Top Documentary Films. TVW, 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

Miflin, Ben. "Arguments in Favour of Genetically-Modified Crops." Arguments in Favour of Genetically-Modified Crops. N.p., 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Bailey, Pamela. "GMOs Are Nothing to Fear." U.S.News. U.S. News, 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2016.

Jenkins, Mckay. Food Fight: Gmos and the Future of the American Diet. S.l.: Avery Pub Group, 2017. Print.