Benefits of GMOs

With population estimates reaching 9 billion people by 2050, it is expected that farmers will need to double food production to keep pace. The largest study in the history of GMOs was published by Matin Qaim and Wilhelm Klumper of Gottingen University in Germany in November 2014. The researchers found GMOs to have large, widespread benefits, especially in developing countries. The study concluded that farmers in developed countries who planted crops genetically modified for herbicide resistance realized a 9% increase in yield, while those who planted crops genetically modified for resistance to insects realized a 25% increase in yield above those who planted traditional seeds. In developing countries, where pests and weeds are a bigger problem, the study concluded that yields from genetically modified crops were an additional 14% higher than those in developed countries. This technology is poised to have a dramatic impact on our ability to continue to feed the world’s growing population. Qaim and Klumper’s study also concluded that genetic modification of crops have environmental benefits as they have led to a 37% reduction in the quantity of chemical pesticides used.