1/22/14

Tonight's homework is read the genetic engineering articles you received and to write a response to "What place does/should genetic engineering have in our food supply?" Absence from class today only grant you an extra day to complete the work - it does not absolve you of responsibility. Students in 12CD will also need to complete Assignment 37B. See the articles and resources below for assistance.

Useful Resources
Overview of GMOs @ Scitable (from Nature magazine)
Case studies: A hard look at GMOs - Nature.com
Don't Be Afraid of Genetic Modification - NY Times

GMO or Biotechnology - Does it affect our food system? - feedingninebillion.com
Mark Lynas: Lecture to Oxford Farming Conference

Assignment 37B

The major issues in modern agriculture include the use of genetically modified (GM) crops and the
implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. The following graph shows the increase in the
use of GM crops in both developing and industrialized countries from 1995 to 2004.

(a) Reply to the following questions based on the data in the graph above.

 (i) Calculate the increase in the area of land used for growing GM crops in developing countries from 1999 to 2003. Express your answer as a percentage of the 1999 value.

 (ii) Calculate the annual rate of increase in land area used for growing GM crops in industrialized countries from 1997 to 1999.

 (iii) Using the rate you calculated in part (ii), project the area of land that would have been expected to be used for GM crops in industrialized countries in 2004.

 (iv) Identify one likely cause for the difference between the projected land area for GM crops in industrialized countries in 2004 and the actual land area for GM crops in industrialized countries in 2004.

(b) Describe one environmental advantage and one environmental disadvantage of using GM crops.

(c) Describe one economic advantage and one economic disadvantage of using GM crops.

(d) A healthy soil ecosystem is of primary importance in sustainable agriculture. Describe TWO viable
agricultural practices that farmers can use to maintain or improve soil quality.

(e) Identify and describe one environmental advantage and one economic advantage of consuming locally
grown produce.