TWC Week 7 - BioBusiness Revolution: Agribiology, Environmental Life Sciences and Industrial Biotechnology
This week’s session was focus on the Agribiology, Environmental Life Sciences and Industrial Biotechnology similar to that of last week’s topic.
The future on agricultural biotechnology is predicted to be generating huge benefits to the society. Before we prove this point, let us look at the possible pros and cons of this prospect.
The rise of the new generation of farmers called the farmists is expected to be more knowledgeable with skills equipped to work effectively with technology. And this will replace the way of the traditional farming methods, which will inevitably eradicate the problem of slow and poor agricultural farming. However, the problem still lies in the issue of the outcome of the traditional farmers. Will traditional farmers lose the rights to farming as compared to farmists? Are traditional farmers provided with the means to self improving to the level of farmists? Although there are potential job aspects in the farming industry, farmers’ rights should be protected and IPR given should not be too unfair towards the parties involved.
The rise of the new generation of farmers called the farmists is expected to be more knowledgeable with skills equipped to work effectively with technology. And this will replace the way of the traditional farming methods, which will inevitably eradicate the problem of slow and poor agricultural farming. However, the problem still lies in the issue of the outcome of the traditional farmers. Will traditional farmers lose the rights to farming as compared to farmists? Are traditional farmers provided with the means to self improving to the level of farmists? Although there are potential job aspects in the farming industry, farmers’ rights should be protected and IPR given should not be too unfair towards the parties involved.
The idea of our choice of genetic modifications or not ultimately depends on our own personal interests, the demand and supply of the market. Even though most of us are consuming GM food unknowingly,, till date it have been proven that there have not much side effects from such consumption. However, how are we suppose to judge the term “long” to have the negative effects to take place like in comparison to the effects of being diagnose with cancer. This is still the ultimate considering factor for us to ponder on. On the whole, I feel that the consumption of GM is fine as long as there is no substantial evidence to prove that it does actually threatens the lives of human beings.
On environmental and industrial life sciences, more could be done on the waste management and industrial enzymes. One interesting issue discussed during class was the process of management in waste into food consumption for human and animals. I feel that this is an unfeasible plan, why? Let us just recap on the feasibility of NEwater. Although the fundamental solutions are implemented, the effectiveness of the implementation is not recognized.
Another notion is the problem of food scarcity due to the increasing population over the supply of food. Therefore, GM technologies are definitely needed to curb and solve the problem of food security as compared to the traditional methods. In addition, economic, social, political leaders should play their part in encouraging and educating to ensure the measures are provided for and enforced.
From reading 4, it concludes that both conventional technology and biotechnology are needed in order to meet the increasing rise in population demands. Besides having developments at lower production costs; it also has important environmental advantage such as developing cereal varieties with greater tolerance for soil alkalinity, free aluminum, and iron toxicities. The recombinant DNA techniques can speed up the development process too. Throughout the years, there has been an increase in the power of genetic engineering to improve the nutritional quality of our food crop species. A positive note highlights that it can eventually have profound impact for millions of people with deficiencies of vitamin A and iron, causes of blindness and anemia, respectively.
It considered the anti-science crowd to be rather contradicting towards the purpose and aims of GM food, as till date there has been no credible scientific evidence to suggest that the ingestion of transgenic products is injurious to human health or the environment. Thus, what led to the rise of anti-science group? Anti-science group should consider the evidential fact that new technology showed positive impacts too. More importantly, they should look into the aspects concerning civil societies equity issues related to genetic ownership, control, and access to transgenic agricultural products. It explains that GM is the progressive harnessing of the forces of nature so as to benefit the feeding of human beings.
It considered the anti-science crowd to be rather contradicting towards the purpose and aims of GM food, as till date there has been no credible scientific evidence to suggest that the ingestion of transgenic products is injurious to human health or the environment. Thus, what led to the rise of anti-science group? Anti-science group should consider the evidential fact that new technology showed positive impacts too. More importantly, they should look into the aspects concerning civil societies equity issues related to genetic ownership, control, and access to transgenic agricultural products. It explains that GM is the progressive harnessing of the forces of nature so as to benefit the feeding of human beings.
And lastly, disparity between the poor nations and the affluent nations are still in existence. Ultimately, new technology are more easy in achieving problem of global food security where politicians, educational, religious leaders involved must understand and be prepared for the problems ahead.
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