FOOD SECURITY
What is Food Security?
Food security is defined as “the state of having reliable access to sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food” (Dictionaries, 2017). A person is food secure when he/she has sufficient and satisfactory access to safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle (Programme, 2017).
Counteracting a Lack in Affordable Food Supply
A) Maize (Zea mays L.) is regarded as the most vital and adaptable grain crop in South Africa (Plessis, 2003) with an estimate of 13.918 million tonnes to be produced this year (Reuters, 2017). The affordable grain is largely eaten as maize porridge, “pap,” and is the main staple food of Southern Africa (BBC, 2017). It has the nutritional advantage of being
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Another advantage is that GM grains could help with decreasing global warming – more plants and crops will be able to grow in previously unsuitable areas, leading to the increase in O2 levels and decrease in CO2 levels, reducing global warming (ConnectUS, 2017). There is the disadvantage of having a lower level of biodiversity. As more pests die, they are also reduced in the food chain, which, in turn, affects their predator’s food source; the MD grains may also be toxic to some organisms leading to possible extinction (ConnectUS, 2017). Cross contamination is another disadvantage – GM pollen may cross pollinate with e.g. grass or weeds, which may develop “superweeds” with the GM properties (Lombardo, …show more content…
The sources have shown how GMO’s can be advantages but also negative. It had strengthened the idea of GMO’s being primarily negative, as there are “downfalls” in terms of human health and the environment. However, with further understanding of genetic engineering, it had brought about amazement as to how the human race had managed to think of such processes. With the addition of religion, and the belief of being God’s “children” is does make one wonder about the incredible mind of God if “mere humans” can come up with GMO’s. Nevertheless, the viewpoint had been changed from a decisive to a more undecided one. However, with the negative impacts that it causes on both the environment and humans, themselves, it does cause one to see GMO’s as (slightly) more negative than