Former agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack: Environment benefits when farmers plant GMO

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[Editor’s note: Tom Vilsack is a former agriculture secretary under President Obama and currently serves as President and CEO of the U.S. Dairy Export Council.]

Now more than ever we need to embrace the power of science to help us battle the challenges related to climate change.

The good news is that science is waiting in the dugout to help another major industry make measurable, positive progress on its impact on the environment. That industry is agriculture, which currently accounts for 33 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack

Simply put, when a farmer transitions to a GMO crop, the environment benefits. First, there’s a reduction in the use of harmful chemicals that pollute lungs, permeate soil, and runoff into streams.

On the issue of crop yields, if gone unchecked, climate change will have drastic implications on the viability of crops in vulnerable countries that rely solely on rainwater for irrigation purposes, devastatingly increasing the levels of food insecurity among the poor in underdeveloped countries

Embracing innovative farming technologies and practices like seed improvement through genetic modification puts us on the path toward a more food-secure and environmentally stable future. Turning our backs on these advancements, on the other hand, has the potential to stifle innovation and jeopardize agriculture’s ability to win the battle against climate change, not to mention other daunting challenges we face going forward.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Advancements in agriculture, good for people and the planet

For more background on the Genetic Literacy Project, read GLP on Wikipedia

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