Genetic Engineering in Plants

Genetic engineering is when organism’s genes are directly changed, usually through molecular cloning or transformation. There are many reasons why genetic engineering in plants is a good thing. The idea of genetic engineering allows the farmer or gardener to experiment and to try new hybrids, a mixture of genes through human manipulation. Pollan writes about the potato he planted called NewLeaf, which is a potato that had been genetically engineered to create its own insecticide. The great thing about the insecticide that this potato would produce, is that it is lethal to the Colorado potato beetle, which in the past would eat and destroy a plant overnight. Not only would NewLeaf be able to fight back against the Colorado potato beetle, but it also would not need all the expensive and harmful chemicals, such as pesticides, because the potato could now protect itself. It is also believed that “current agricultural technology is unsustainable,” this is because most industrial farmers cannot grow the abundance of food without using many toxic chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, machinery, and fuel. All of these chemicals do not come without cost to individual’s health, pollution to the environment, and the safety of the food. With genetic engineering these toxic chemicals would be obsolete, our health and the farmer’s health would be greatly increased, there would be much less pollution to the environment, and the food that grows in these industrial farms would be much safer for consumption. There are many benefits of genetic engineering, better food quality, less harm from insects to crops, and a better healthier environment all together.