4E Elective geog - Geog of food

1. Genetically Modified Food

2. What is a GM food crop?
• Genetically-modified (GM) food is produced
from plants or animals which have had their
genes changed in the laboratory by
scientists.

3. What is a GM food crop?
• Scientists have been tinkering with the DNA of
commercial food for nearly two decades, and
they’ve covered most of the food pyramid.
• Modern soybeans, cotton, tomatoes, potatoes,
corn, rice, and sugarcane have all had their
genomes tweaked to serve the human species.

4. Video Time
http://www.teachersdomain.org/

5. Watch the video carefully and
answer the following questions:
Q1) According to the video, why have fruits and
vegetables been modified?
Q2) How is genetic engineering different from
traditional breeding?
Q3) What is the modern scientific view of nature?
Q4) Which is the common gene amongst most living
things?
Q5) According to scientists, why does moving a single
gene not affect the essence of a life form?

6. Answers
Q1) For the benefit of human beings.
Q2) Unlike traditional breeding, genetic
engineering allows scientists to insert a gene
from one specie into another specie.
Q3) All living species have a specific DNA.
Q4) Cytochrome C
Q5) Every life form is made up of tens of
thousands of genes.

7. Examples of GM food

9. Purpose - Why was it invented?

10. Purpose - Why was it invented?
• GM food or food created for human or
animal consumption.
• To increase crop production to meet the
demands of increasing world population.

12. 1.Improvement in nutritional value of food
• Food can be modified to contain higher
nutritional value.
• For example ‘Golden Rice’ that has built-in
vitamin A that prevents blindness.

13. 2. Increase in farmer’s income.
• GM food crops are more resistant to pests,
can tolerate low rainfall and are free from
problems faced by traditional food crops.
• For example, a pest-resistant corn plant
can be created by inserting a
bacterium,Bacillus thuringienis into a corn
plant.
• With few damaged food crops, farmers are
able to enjoy an increase in output and
income.

14. 3. Increase in food supply.
• Farmers can enjoy higher outputs.
• Super Rice produces double the output of
normal rice.
• A higher output means an increase in food
supply and a drop in food prices.
• Thus, producing GM foods can make
food more affordable in LDCs.

15. 4. Reduction of environmental pollution
• Food can be genetically modified to reduce
their reliance on chemical fertilisers,
pesticides and herbicides.
• For example, in China, farmers growing GM
rice have reduced their pesticide use by
nearly 80 percent and more than half of
them use no pesticide at all.
• Many crops including tomatoes, corn, potato
and cotton now have the internal ability to
repel insects thus reducing the amount of
application.

16. Quiz Time
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
Q1) Genetically modified food refers to food
from plants and animals that have been
genetically altered to create desired
_________________.
qualities/traits

17. Quiz Time
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
Q2) GM food has helped to increase crop
____________ which has helped farmers to
have an increased _______________.
output/production……..income

18. Quiz Time
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
Q3) ____________ is a GM food crop that
produces double the output of normal rice.
Super rice

19. Quiz Time
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
Q4) Producing GM food crops can make food
more ________ in LDCs.
affordable

20. Quiz Time
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
Q5) Golden Rice is enriched with beta-carotene
to supplement the lack of _________ in rice
diets of people in LDCs.
vitamin A

21. Quiz Time
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words.
Q6) Food can be modified to increase their
tolerance against chemicals such as fertilisers,
pesticides and __________________.
herbicides

22. Recap
• What GM food is.
• The purpose of GM food.
• The advantages of GM food.
• Next lesson we would be examining the
controversies surrounding GM food so please
read up TB pages 277 – 281.