THE YEAR BRAZIL APPROVED GM WHEAT CULTIVATION.

expansion. Without any increase in agricultural productivity, over 1 billion hectares of cropland — greater than the size of China — would need to be cleared globally by 2050 to meet projected demand.

Bioceres however says that its GMO wheat "showed higher yields than conventional varieties across all environments, with an average 43% yield improvement in targeted environments." Further the biotech company revealed that it observed a 12% increase in yields under moderate growing conditions, and a yield decrease of 11% under good growing conditions (the quality of growing conditions may include other factors in addition to drought). The yield decrease under good growing conditions has been addressed, and the improved seed will be phased in during the following seasons. Based on field results from the crop in Argentina, the Breakthrough Institute estimates that growing drought-tolerant HB4 wheat on one-third of Argentina’s wheatgrowing area could reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by at least 0.86 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents per year (MtCO2e/yr) if yields increase 13%, and up to 1.29 MtCO2e/yr if yields increase 20%. These greenhouse gas emissions savings are equal to 34% and 51% of the yearly on-farm emissions from Argentina’s wheat production, respectively.

Is Gm Food Safe

Fears

Safety concerns always crop up in every conversation around GM Food and G wheat is certainly no exception. Many conservatives usually refer to a 2008 study Hug which identified some potential risks associated with GMOs and these include unexpected gene interactions, cancer risks due to high amounts of pesticide residues, allergenicity, horizontal gene transfer, antibiotics resistance, biodiversity threat and environmental risks.

This often enough to sway public opinion against GM Foods. What is mostly hidden from the public knowledge is the fact that over 4485 risk assessments related to human health and the environment have been conducted on approved GM crops globally. A 2020 review by Smyth et. al determined that there is no substantiated evidence of GMO risks compared with similar risk potentials from non-GM counterparts. To explain the widespread negative perception, Smyth further opined that sciencebased recommendations that guide GMOs safe production and consumption are often ignored by unscientific opposition to the adoption and commercialization of GMOs.

We can thus conclude that fears surrounding GM food are not extensively backed by science. GM crops have also been approved by leading scientific authorities around the world, including U.S. National Academy of Sciences, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, World Health Organization, European Food Safety Authority, American Medical Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, with the assurance that GM food crops do not pose any risks to people, animals or the environment. Moving forward, honest discussions around GM Foods and public awareness could do a lot more to improve public perception which is critical if GM Food is to play its rightful role in helping nations achieve food security