With the production of genetically modified foods (GMFs) becoming more prevalent today, debates about whether it is right to use technology to create new forms of plant and animal life are on the rise. Proponents of GMFs believe these crops will reduce the use of pesticides and other chemicals, and are just as safe as traditional crops. Opponents, on the other hand, feel the use of chemicals is scarcely reduced in GMFs and fear contamination of traditional farm crops... It is possible that GMFs are not bad for us at all and might be rather beneficial to building a sustainable future for all forms of life (Castle, S., Modified Corn, 2014 February 11th) Genetically modified crops were born like cross breeding, it was introduced from a gene through a different organism. The beginning of GM crops was in 1977 when the discovery that soil bug Agrobacterium tumefaction’s can be used as a tool to inject useful foreign genes and DNA into plants. This microorganism, with additional help from other gene-implantation technologies such as electroporation, and gene guns, geneticists have developed a variety of different GM crops.

Genetically modified crops can be altered to grow under many different conditions such as extreme cold, dry spells, or where there are high levels of salt in the soil. Unexpected cold and frost can kill young crops so, according to Deborah Whitman “An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings” (Genetically Modified Foods: Harmful or Helpful? 2000). Dry soil and high levels of salt are also elements that can make land unfit for farming, but as the world’s population grows, farmers are forced to grow crops in locations not previously suitable for cultivation. Through genetic