{"id":3022,"date":"2019-06-10T10:42:05","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T10:42:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africasustainabilitymatters.com\/?p=3022"},"modified":"2026-01-11T05:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:30:20","slug":"agriculture-at-crossroads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/2019\/06\/10\/agriculture-at-crossroads\/","title":{"rendered":"Agriculture at Crossroads"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The desire to use technology to enhance our world and save our lives has evolved into lust that when paired with cooperate greedy power politics becomes a catastrophic mass experiment that harms you and your family. Genetically Modified Organisms<\/a> (GMOs) have become one of the most controversial issues in the world today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What is more viable to humanity than our food supplies?”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Do you like Ruby red grapefruits? What about Italian pasta? Vietnamese rice?”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have probably had the same conversation, in one way or another, for years: some say GMOs are harmful, while others say they will help us feed the growing billions of humans that populate our planet. People\u2019s positions on the subject seem cemented, bound by the hard stays of emotion, nearly impossible to change. It is even more resonant at this intractable moment in Africa where the two issues from the economy, to food security, to healthcare and population dynamics have become subject to all top national debates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\ncannot ignore the headlines. GMOs have become a widely popular topic of\ndiscussion among consumers. It has also spurred many misconceptions by\nactivists and food companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the\nlast survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, most people believe that\norganically grown produce is healthier than conventionally grown varieties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are GMO supporters saying? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GMO Scientists say that people are not aware that food from GM seeds e.g. corn has the same nutritional characteristics as food from seed produced through conventional breeding including organic crops. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless,\nthe nutritional value of GMO foods is tested and compared against non-GMO foods\nand no nutritional difference was found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increasingly, the\ndebate on how the world would provide food, fiber and energy to meet its\ngrowing populations continues to take center stage in the development space. It\nis estimated that global population would reach 9 billion from the estimated\ncurrent figure of 7.8 billion by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Argument<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Africa, farmers\nand ranchers, have many choices when it comes to growing crops as well as feed\nfor animals. Growing conventional crops, genetically modified (GM) crops,\norganic crops or a combination is the choice of the farmer. They ultimately\nselect the best practice that fits their businesses. In addition, consumers\nhave a right to choose what foods they want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organic agriculture<\/a>\nis a factor of sustainable development: for society, the environment and the\neconomy. However, most countries in Africa, nowadays, are facing a major environmental\nchallenge. In recent decades, emerging issues such as the destruction of the\nozone layer, global warming, loss of biodiversity, pressures on natural\nresources and the recent economic crisis have led to the need for a more\nenvironmental friendly growth model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Organic agriculture|SOURCE:Google.com <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, GMO companies argue that, as the world population grows and agricultural production land resources stay the same or diminish, GM seeds can be a critical tool in feeding the world without depleting resources or harming the environment. GM seeds can contribute greatly to conservation and environmental stewardship, in particular, preserving our land and keeping soil healthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, as\nseed companies and researchers continue to make new strides in developing crops\nwith the use of genetic engineering, there are increased opportunities to enhance\nthe nutritional profile of foods that are important in developing countries\nthat need cheap and nutrient-rich food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although organic\nfarming is often perceived as a mode of production which is perhaps\nnon-polluting and creates healthy and tasty products, its low productivity\nprevents any serious development in the future. The yield from organic farming\nis unable to feed the rising population on the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, the high\nprices of products from organic farming compared to products from conventional\nagriculture is the major obstacle. The food share of the budget of an average\nAfrican can easily bear a slight increase. In Kenya for instance, the\nconventional processing industries like fast- foods are many and cheaper\ncompared to its counterpart, organic industries, which are dignified and very\nexpensive for a local citizen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bottom Line<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Type of organic farming| Google.com <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What most people do not understand is that organic foods are expensive to produce therefore expensive to purchase, however, the tradeoff is better health. They minimize exposure to chemicals that can adversely affect your health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, many people\nhave an overabundance of toxins in their bodies due to plastics, heavy metals\nand other compounds that are found in their foods. Many of these metals and\nother compounds can lead to a variety of forms of cancer. Hormones added to\nfoods can lead to higher levels of estrogen and cause lab rats to develop\ncancers. When combined with low levels of arsenic, which is often found in\nnonorganic foods, they have an even higher incidence of cancers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GMOs, despite\nbeing cheap and abundant, should not be the answer to food security in\nAfrica.  They are exposing us to harmful\ntoxins that can cause us a myriad of health issues at some point in our lives.\nHence, a lot of expenditure will be redirected to healthcare, something we can\navoid by choosing healthy foods. The choices are; pay more for food or pay more\nout in doctors\u2019 bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My final two cents?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone knows that the quality of the food we eat affects our health significantly. Organic foods are basically a better option for our bodies and the environment. However, the drastic difference in price, choosing organic over GMO foods may seem hard to justify. In spite of the cost, buying organic is not just a way to ensure the health of you and your family, but it is a way to let \u201cbig business<\/em>\u201d know that you are not buying their pretty-looking, junk-filled, less nutritious foods. Take a stand against poor farming and harvest practices and encourage a sustainable future for your children and grandchildren, <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The desire to use technology to enhance our world and save our lives has evolved into lust that when paired with cooperate greedy power politics becomes a catastrophic mass experiment…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economic-responsibility"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rayscohosting.best\/ASM\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}