The world is so much divided on the GMO debate. The world population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, and billions of people go to bed hungry each day. To tackle the problem of poverty, hunger and malnutrition, scientists have developed plant varieties that could fight disease, enhance flavor, resist pests, improve nutrition and survive drought by modifying the DNA of one organism through the introduction of genes from another. Around the world, communities are fighting against the cultivation of genetically engineered crops while there are scientists who advocate for GMOs. Are they safe? How do they impact the environment? Can they improve food security? Is the world better off with or without GM food?

1. GMOs: BENEFITS AND RISKS
Dipendra Shahi

3. What’s in name??
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM

4. Population explosion

5. Shrinking land
Soil degradation
Climate change
Malnutrition
Bio-fuel

6. Traditional breeding practices are exhausted
and
restrained by species boundary

7. Traits engineered to crops

8. TRANSGENICS
Insect pest resistance
• Stem borer
 Rice
 Sorghum
 Maize
• Pod Borer
 Pigeon pea
 Chick pea
• Boll worm
 Cotton
• Fruit borer
 Tomato
 Brinjal
• Aphid
 Brassica
Drought stress
Brassica
Delayed ripening
 Tomato
Fungal resistance
Rice
Banana
Virus
resistance
Cotton
Soybean
Tomato
Potato
Banana
Papaya
Cassava
TARGET CROPS ANDTRAITS

9. DELAYED RIPENING
FLAVR SAVR TOMATO

10. Flavr Savr Tomato Traditional Tomato
Ripens on the vine
resulting in fuller
flavour
Harvested while it is still
green and firm.
Ripe and Increased
Flavour.
Ripe but decreased
flavour.
Supermarket
Sprayed with ethylene
after shipping to induce
ripening.

11. ENHANCED NUTRITION
GOLDEN RICE

12. GOLDEN RICE
Alleviate vitamin A deficiency

13. Insect Resistant Crops
Bt cotton

14. Insect infestation on Bt and non-Bt cotton bolls
Bt corn
Bt brinjal
Non Bt maize

15. Herbicide Resistance
Weed-infested soybean plot soybeans after herbicidetreatment.

16. Disease resistance
Papaya resistant to papaya ringspot virus

17. Biopharmaceuticals from crops
Recombinant Tobacco used to make serum albumin

18. Banana Vaccine
Hepatitis B virus (HBV)

19. • Possible to create many varieties of useful plants
• Preserve and increase the biodiversity
A point of optimism

20. Current research
Insert Selenium (a proven cancer fighter)into edible plants
Astragalus bisulcatus naturally accumulates selenium

21. Basis for creating value added traits
Combat hunger and famine
GENETIC ENGINEERING AND GMOs

22. NEGATIVE ASPECTS

23. Should we play God??
Interference with God’s creation
God’s ©Patent

24. Are we blurring the lines among the species???
Creation of chimera

25. What are long term environmental effects???
• Gene escape
• Gene flow to non-GM organisms
• Gene transfer to wild or weedy relatives
• Problems for biodiversity
• Poisoning nature
• Unforeseen future problems

26. What are Potential health risks to human???
• Allergies
• Antibiotic resistance
• Production of new toxins
• Diminished nutritional quality
• Creation of new, more virulent viruses

27. Argument
Cultivation of few H Y V of crops resulted in huge loss in genetic diversity
Use of genetic engineering in agriculture might lead to erosion of species diversity
GREEN AND GENE REVOLUTION LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
Green Revolution
Gene revolution

28. Genetic engineering is a crude and imprecise operation and
consequently is inherently hazardous to health and bio-diversity.
The insertion of a foreign gene into the host genome is a random
process, not under the control of genetic engineer.
Dr. Wae Wan Ho

29. VS
•Monopoly of biotech companies over the staple crops
•Questions about equity and sustainability
•Genetically engineered crops could devastate third world agriculture
Ethical issues

30. Will genetic engineering respect the rights of third world people
who have promoted biodiversity over thousands of years??
or
Will it facilitate Bio-piracy?
Ethical issues

31. • The fundamental question is whether genetic engineering
respects the intrinsic rights of other creatures??
• What unintended personal, social, and cultural
consequences could result?
• Who will have access to these technologies??
• Will these interventions redefine what it means to be
normal??
Ethical issues

32. Do not have complete faith on transgenic
If no trials conducted

33. Widening the framework for ethics
• Essential to develop an appropriate ethical framework for this
new and powerful technology which can literally transform
not just human life but life itself
• Thorough debate on potential benefits and possible
nightmares

34. OTHER ISSUES
• Process or Product??
• Necessity or convenience??
• Tip of the iceberg??
• Optimism or skepticism??
• Public opinion and Media hype??

35. IS NEPAL READY FOR GMOs??