bam1992
Oct 6, 2009
Undergraduate / Common App - Biotechnology and Agriculture [2]
Prompt: Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
I'm applying as a plant science major, so I thought this would be a good topic. I really need to shorten it (it's almost 700 words) and add more about why the issue is important to me, so let me know if you find anything unnecessary or uninteresting. Unless you don't think I need to.
Thanks!
Biotechnology is a rapidly progressing field, emerging from the scientific realm into the world of consumers and farmers with a plethora or ethical and dilemmas attached. As a person concerned with global health and food safety, I believe that the ethics and risks of genetic modification in organisms need to be carefully considered, especially those intended for agronomic purposes.
The controversy surrounding the use of biotechnology for food products is important to me because I am concerned about the safety of the world's food supply as well as the biosphere, and I realize that during my career as a scientist, I will undoubtedly encounter ethical dilemmas about which I need to make the correct decision. I do believe that many benefits can and will come from bioengineered crops, but for these crops to be safely implemented, scientists and governing agencies must be prudent.
Throughout history, human development of new technologies has almost always resulted in a net benefit for the individual, as well as for society as a whole. It is naïve, of course, to assume that because biotechnology is a technological innovation, it will have the same type of effects and consequences as the plow, the printing press, or the internal combustion engine. Unlike these machines, biotechnology involves the direct manipulation of the molecular structure of plant and animals, instead of simply reshaping and using metal, wood, or petroleum. Because biotechnology is a relatively recent development, it is necessary to assess risks that have never before been associated with other forms of technology and long-term effects of these genetic alterations, which cannot have been fully observed or recorded. Negative effects of biotechnology may not only result in food safety and moral issues, but also in economic and environmental ones.
Some sources state genetically modified crops could help developing countries in producing more crops of a higher quality, and therefore the countries could begin to export commodities and become a successful part of the world economy. The prospect of a better future for this type of country may sound promising, but in the long-term, any positive effects should be viewed as theoretical at best. If South Africa would adopt American genetically engineered crops, the immediate effect would certainly be a boon in agriculture within the country. Despite this, when the country began to export the surplus, it would not be able to compete with the same products coming from the United States, because national subsidies drive prices too low for any realistic competition. African farmers would be forced to sell their crops at a much less than reasonable price, a situation that certainly could not be described as a benefit of biotechnology. Instead of helping developing nations' economies grow, biotechnology could effectively lock farmers into a worldwide commodity system in which they are unable to compete, while depending on corporate seeds and crops to sustain their meager livelihood. In short, I believe developing nations could become an extension of American industrial agriculture.
The use of genetically modified crops in countries other than the U.S. can also be dangerous for health reasons. The United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration are all in place in the United States to regulate food products by testing them and monitoring production. In some other countries, however, until more regulation is present, biotechnology applied to food products could be dangerous. One example of the lack of necessary legislation is in South Africa, where the labeling of genetically modified foods is not required by law. This, in a worst-case scenario, could result in harmful strains of crops being distributed to oblivious consumers in Africa.
A healthy amount of skepticism will certainly aid in the safety of food products as biotechnology is used in different ways, and is spread throughout the world. Biotechnology techniques certainly can be used to increase the yield of crops, but for these advances to take place responsibly, biotechnology needs to be monitored worldwide, and restrained if necessary. Regulations must ensure that new crops are not introduced too quickly without allowing for the full testing and realization of long-term negative effects that could arise through their use.
Prompt: Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
I'm applying as a plant science major, so I thought this would be a good topic. I really need to shorten it (it's almost 700 words) and add more about why the issue is important to me, so let me know if you find anything unnecessary or uninteresting. Unless you don't think I need to.
Thanks!
Biotechnology is a rapidly progressing field, emerging from the scientific realm into the world of consumers and farmers with a plethora or ethical and dilemmas attached. As a person concerned with global health and food safety, I believe that the ethics and risks of genetic modification in organisms need to be carefully considered, especially those intended for agronomic purposes.
The controversy surrounding the use of biotechnology for food products is important to me because I am concerned about the safety of the world's food supply as well as the biosphere, and I realize that during my career as a scientist, I will undoubtedly encounter ethical dilemmas about which I need to make the correct decision. I do believe that many benefits can and will come from bioengineered crops, but for these crops to be safely implemented, scientists and governing agencies must be prudent.
Throughout history, human development of new technologies has almost always resulted in a net benefit for the individual, as well as for society as a whole. It is naïve, of course, to assume that because biotechnology is a technological innovation, it will have the same type of effects and consequences as the plow, the printing press, or the internal combustion engine. Unlike these machines, biotechnology involves the direct manipulation of the molecular structure of plant and animals, instead of simply reshaping and using metal, wood, or petroleum. Because biotechnology is a relatively recent development, it is necessary to assess risks that have never before been associated with other forms of technology and long-term effects of these genetic alterations, which cannot have been fully observed or recorded. Negative effects of biotechnology may not only result in food safety and moral issues, but also in economic and environmental ones.
Some sources state genetically modified crops could help developing countries in producing more crops of a higher quality, and therefore the countries could begin to export commodities and become a successful part of the world economy. The prospect of a better future for this type of country may sound promising, but in the long-term, any positive effects should be viewed as theoretical at best. If South Africa would adopt American genetically engineered crops, the immediate effect would certainly be a boon in agriculture within the country. Despite this, when the country began to export the surplus, it would not be able to compete with the same products coming from the United States, because national subsidies drive prices too low for any realistic competition. African farmers would be forced to sell their crops at a much less than reasonable price, a situation that certainly could not be described as a benefit of biotechnology. Instead of helping developing nations' economies grow, biotechnology could effectively lock farmers into a worldwide commodity system in which they are unable to compete, while depending on corporate seeds and crops to sustain their meager livelihood. In short, I believe developing nations could become an extension of American industrial agriculture.
The use of genetically modified crops in countries other than the U.S. can also be dangerous for health reasons. The United States Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Food and Drug Administration are all in place in the United States to regulate food products by testing them and monitoring production. In some other countries, however, until more regulation is present, biotechnology applied to food products could be dangerous. One example of the lack of necessary legislation is in South Africa, where the labeling of genetically modified foods is not required by law. This, in a worst-case scenario, could result in harmful strains of crops being distributed to oblivious consumers in Africa.
A healthy amount of skepticism will certainly aid in the safety of food products as biotechnology is used in different ways, and is spread throughout the world. Biotechnology techniques certainly can be used to increase the yield of crops, but for these advances to take place responsibly, biotechnology needs to be monitored worldwide, and restrained if necessary. Regulations must ensure that new crops are not introduced too quickly without allowing for the full testing and realization of long-term negative effects that could arise through their use.