Proponents of genetically modified (GM) crops argue that the technology can help feed the world by producing higher yields at a lower cost, but a new study shows that yield improvements have actually come as a result of improved farming practices and traditional plant breeding, not gene splicing.  The good news surely comes as a boost to Germany’s decision to ban GM corn from Monsanto, as well as encouraging proof for those of us concerned about the effects of genetic modification on our health and the environment.

When genes are directly spliced into plant, traditional methods of cross-breeding are accelerated to lightning speeds, and we won’t know what the effects of such drastic changes will be, until it’s too late.  Hunger, quite often, has more to do with inadequate food distribution, than an inability to grow crops.  And if farmers use generically modified crops, which are patented, they are forced into a unhealthy relationship where they become indebted to companies like Monsanto to provide them with new seeds and the harmful pesticides that are designed to compliment the GM crops.  As the new study suggests, farmers would be better off relying on traditional breeding methods as well as sustainable and organic farming practices that are safer for the environment, human health, and local economies.

takepart by learning more about sustainable farming from Navdanya, Vandana Shiva’s organization, and learn more about the dark side of Industrial food production in the upcoming film Food Inc.

(Photo: Peter Blanchard’s flickr photostream; creative commons)