In the United States, we are fortunate to have an abundant supply of food. However, this abundance is largely due to advances in agricultural technology, which have in turn created numerous concerns surrounding our food sources. Provide at least two modern examples of how the United States has increased its food production. Using at least two scholarly or reputable resources and your textbook, discuss how these changes have affected the environment, and what impact they have on food safety?

“The use of genetically engineered crops has grown rapidly in countries such as the United States” (Turk, J. & Bensel, T., 2014). This is one modern example of how the United States has increased its food product. But with great advances and technological discoveries, there sometimes comes a tradeoff. This trade off comes in the price of adverse reactions on the environment according to some sources. Some scientist and anti GM groups warned that GM crops, by encouraging liberal use of glypsosate, were spurring the evolution of herbicide resistance in many weeds. Obviously this is not beneficial to crops on the environment. That question that must be asked is whether or not the pros outweigh the cons of continuing the use of GM crops. In my opinion, I believe that we should continue to use GM crops, but also research its effects and develop ways to make the production of these crops more “green” and safe for consumption. I don’t think that we should dismiss this method because it is not perfect or natural.
Another modern example of how the United States has increased its food production is green revolution which “involved the development of new varieties of wheat, rice, and other grains that doubled yields and allowed farmers in tropical regions to grow two crops a year instead of just one”. Once again the idea was great but as with most things, it came with a cost.