4.5 Genetic Modification
93
Monarch butterflies taste nectar in every September prior to heading to
Mexico from the US and Canada. It is among the most extraordinary
migrations found within the animal kingdom and has the aim of reaching the
Mexican mountain range. According to various calculations, monarchs move
approximately 75 km every day, occasionally reaching 2500 m in height.
Because of the weather vagaries, they are at times compelled to cover
7000 km prior to reaching their resting place. The monarch’s life cycle,
similar to other butterflies, tends to revolve around the phases of larva–
caterpillar–pupae–butterfly–larva. More importantly, monarchs usually eat
milkweed plants.
The major threat of monarch butterflies is the low prevalence of milkweed.
This has been due to the increased utilization of genetically modified
organism (GMO) crops that can cope with a high dosage of herbicides.
Milkweed often grows around crops like soybeans and corn in Midwest
US. Milkweed acts as the primary food source of the species. However,
the main problem is that contrary to GMO crops that are found close by,
milkweed cannot cope against herbicides. Despite doubts raised about GMO
plants causing the decline of milkweeds, there is a high correlation between
higher utilization of herbicide-tolerant plants and the decline of the monarch
population.
Regarding weather and climate, biotech solutions can positively affect the
environment through mitigation of the effects of climate change within agriculture
through GHGs. In fact, agricultural biotechnology could offer solutions, including
conventional breeding, genetic engineering, and tissue culture. The advances in
breeding can aid agriculture to attain higher yields as well as meet the expanding
populations’ needs with limited water and land resources. For example, it is
estimated that due to enhanced breeding techniques, productivity increases within
the global production of primary crops, such as rice and maize, has risen by about
21%. The use of fewer resources enhances sustainability and contributes less to
climate change, unlike many conventional agricultural forms that contribute to the
emission of GHGs.
Similarly, it positively affects the water cycle by reducing evaporation, surface
runoff, evapotranspiration, and transpiration. One of the major examples of genetic
modification is the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) varieties which are
based in Kenya and organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Beyene
et al. 2015). Water Efficient Maize for Africa was launched in 2008 to assist farmers
in managing the drought risk through the development and deployment of maize
varieties that produce between 24 and 35% more grain. The project focuses on SubSaharan Africa through a combination of conventional breeding, biotechnology as
well as marker-assisted breeding to initiate drought tolerance. The main countries
that the project operates in are Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, and South
Africa. Higher and more reliable harvests can aid farmers to feed families and raise
93
Monarch butterflies taste nectar in every September prior to heading to
Mexico from the US and Canada. It is among the most extraordinary
migrations found within the animal kingdom and has the aim of reaching the
Mexican mountain range. According to various calculations, monarchs move
approximately 75 km every day, occasionally reaching 2500 m in height.
Because of the weather vagaries, they are at times compelled to cover
7000 km prior to reaching their resting place. The monarch’s life cycle,
similar to other butterflies, tends to revolve around the phases of larva–
caterpillar–pupae–butterfly–larva. More importantly, monarchs usually eat
milkweed plants.
The major threat of monarch butterflies is the low prevalence of milkweed.
This has been due to the increased utilization of genetically modified
organism (GMO) crops that can cope with a high dosage of herbicides.
Milkweed often grows around crops like soybeans and corn in Midwest
US. Milkweed acts as the primary food source of the species. However,
the main problem is that contrary to GMO crops that are found close by,
milkweed cannot cope against herbicides. Despite doubts raised about GMO
plants causing the decline of milkweeds, there is a high correlation between
higher utilization of herbicide-tolerant plants and the decline of the monarch
population.
Regarding weather and climate, biotech solutions can positively affect the
environment through mitigation of the effects of climate change within agriculture
through GHGs. In fact, agricultural biotechnology could offer solutions, including
conventional breeding, genetic engineering, and tissue culture. The advances in
breeding can aid agriculture to attain higher yields as well as meet the expanding
populations’ needs with limited water and land resources. For example, it is
estimated that due to enhanced breeding techniques, productivity increases within
the global production of primary crops, such as rice and maize, has risen by about
21%. The use of fewer resources enhances sustainability and contributes less to
climate change, unlike many conventional agricultural forms that contribute to the
emission of GHGs.
Similarly, it positively affects the water cycle by reducing evaporation, surface
runoff, evapotranspiration, and transpiration. One of the major examples of genetic
modification is the Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) varieties which are
based in Kenya and organized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Beyene
et al. 2015). Water Efficient Maize for Africa was launched in 2008 to assist farmers
in managing the drought risk through the development and deployment of maize
varieties that produce between 24 and 35% more grain. The project focuses on SubSaharan Africa through a combination of conventional breeding, biotechnology as
well as marker-assisted breeding to initiate drought tolerance. The main countries
that the project operates in are Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, and South
Africa. Higher and more reliable harvests can aid farmers to feed families and raise