The state of the 'GMO' debate - toward an increasingly favorable and less polarized media conversation on ag-biotech?

Rethinking progress: harmonizing the discourse on genetically modified crops

Genetically modified crops (GM crops) also known as biotech crops are crops that have been altered through genetic engineering techniques and under cultivation for approximately 28 years. By October 2024, over 30 nations have approved the cultivation of GM crops. The global area utilized for biotech crop production has reached 206.3 million hectares. Despite the substantial growth in the cultivation of these crops, debate continues between proponents and opponents of GM crops. In this article, critical concerns and common ground between the arguments of both sides were described. The main issues addressed include the naturalness of GM crops, religious perspectives, beneficial aspects, safety issues, socio-economic impacts and intellectual property rights. We argue that the classification GM crops as unnatural is a claim that lacks scientific reality. In a similar vein, comparing GM technology to the act of playing God is inappropriate. Moreover, the belief that GM crops do not contribute to yield improvements is inconsistent with empirical evidence. Additionally, the claim that foods produced from GM crops are unsafe for human consumption holds unseen concerns that is not on the ground. We have also highlighted the necessity of implementing intellectual property rights that support seed developers for a limited duration without violating farmers' rights. In conclusion, as a consumer has the right to know what they eat, labeling of GM food products fosters transparency and enhance consumer autonomy.

The evolution of media reportage on GMOs in Ghana following approval of first GM crop

Ghana's parliament in 2011 passed the Biosafety Act to allow for the application of genetically modified organism (GMO) technology in the country's agriculture. In a vibrant democracy, there have been extensive media discussions on whether GM crops will benefit or harm citizens. In June 2022, the state GMO regulator, the National Biosafety Authority (NBA), approved the country's first GM crop (Bt cowpea) for environmental release, declaring the crop does not present an altered environmental risk or a food/feed safety concern. This study identified 3 of the country's most vibrant digital news outlets and did a content analysis of all GMO stories reported 18 months pre- and post-approval to assess whether the approval changed the focus of GMO issues the media reports on. 91 articles were identified. The results show media reports on the likely impact of GMOs on the country's food security shot up after the approval. However, media reports on the possible health, sociocultural, and environmental impact of GMOs declined. We observe the media and the public appear interested in deliberations on how the technology could address or worsen food insecurity and urge agricultural biotechnology actors in Ghana to focus on that in their sensitization activities.

Social and biological innovations are essential to deliver transformative forest biotechnologies

Forests make immense contributions to societies in the form of ecological services and sustainable industrial products. However, they face major challenges to their viability and economic use due to climate change and growing biotic and economic threats, for which recombinant DNA (rDNA) technology can sometimes provide solutions. But the application of rDNA technologies to forest trees faces major social and biological obstacles that make its societal acceptance a 'wicked' problem without straightforward solutions. We discuss the nature of these problems, and the social and biological innovations that we consider essential for progress. As case studies of biological challenges, we focus on studies of modifications in wood chemistry and transformation efficiency. We call for major innovations in regulations, and the dissolution of method-based market barriers, that together could lead to greater research investments, enable wide use of field studies, and facilitate the integration of rDNA-modified trees into conventional breeding programs. Without near-term adoption of such innovations, rDNA-based solutions will be largely unavailable to help forests adapt to the growing stresses from climate change and the proliferation of forest pests, nor will they be available to provide economic and environmental benefits from expanded use of wood and related bioproducts as part of an expanding bioeconomy.

A struggle for control beyond the facts: examining constructs of GM technology in Philippine opinion columns

GM technology has constantly faced opposition in the Philippines. The debate heightened in 2016, when the Supreme Court halted the field testing of Bt eggplant, which triggered a public debate. This ruling was overturned, but GM technology remained in the public consciousness because of the general visibility of science, health, and food security issues. The researcher analyzed opinion columns in major Philippine news outlets from 2016-present to examine candid framings of the GM debate. Through inductive analysis, the researcher found that the debate represents a struggle for control. The crops are not so much monsters as they are hyperbolic jokes that do not meet their promises; they too, represent a foreign industrial invader that can be countered only by contextualized and localized farming. These findings add nuance to our understanding of the GM debate in the Global South.

The impact of 'framing' in the adoption of GM crops

Genetically modified (GM) crops offer significant advantages in our crop improvement programs because they are created using a more targeted approach which is not possible in traditional breeding methods. Human benefit is one of the main objectives of crop improvement but the legal framework for the introduction of GM crops and the depiction and portrayal of GM crops in the media create barriers to these benefits. This article attempts to highlight the barriers to GM crop adoption particularly focusing on the idea of "framing" and the way GM technology is framed in the media. The resulting public health, economic, and ecological concerns about genetically modified plants, along with the reality of these misconceptions, are discussed with specific examples. Finally, we propose potential routes toward increased acceptance of GM crops.

Gene editing achieves consistently higher favorability in social and traditional media than GMOs

While GMOs have been the subject of negative discourse over a long time period, it is possible that newer breeding technologies like gene editing are viewed more favorably. We present data for a 5-year period between January 2018 and December 2022, showing that in content specific to agricultural biotechnology, gene editing achieves consistently higher favorability ratings than GMOs in both social and traditional English-language media. Our sentiment analysis shows that favorability is especially positive in social media, with close to 100% favorability achieved in numerous monthly values throughout our 5 years of analysis. We believe that the scientific community can therefore be cautiously optimistic based on current trends that gene editing will be accepted by the public and be able to achieve its promise of making a substantial contribution to future food security and environmental sustainability worldwide. However, there are some recent indications of more sustained downward trends, which may be a cause for concern.

Bio-based solutions for reducing loss and waste of fresh fruits and vegetables: an industry perspective

Reducing loss and waste of fresh produce requires a systems-wide approach, where supply chain, logistical, and cold chain considerations are balanced with plant breeding, biotechnological, biochemical, and bioinspired solutions. Even though bioengineered specialty crops got off to a rocky start, genetically modified nonbrowning apples and potatoes have been on the market for almost a decade, with bioengineered pineapples, tomatoes, and gene-edited leafy greens with novel taste and nutritional profiles entering the market this year. Traditional and modern breeding expand the toolset of solutions for alleviating labor concerns, extending shelf life, and developing a generally tastier product less likely to be wasted by consumers. Critical to the systems approach is ensuring shelf-life extensions are not 'swallowed' into the supply chain and passed on to consumers.

Sustainable agriculture and GM crops: the case of Bt cotton impact in Ballari district of India

Effects of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton are at the forefront of an intense debate on the benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops among smallholder farmers in developing countries. Existing studies fail to control for confounders, selection bias, or cultivation bias from preferential treatment in the initial adoption phase. Addressing these concerns in this paper, I examine the impact of Bt cotton employing an unbalanced panel fixed-effects model of a crop yield and profit function on newly collected plot-level data in the most recent decade. Results show that Bt cotton yields have stagnated, have a null effect on profits, and have become more sensitive to pest pressure in the most recent decade. Though many studies have demonstrated higher crop yield and profit gains in the first decade of Bt cotton adoption that raised the average returns to the technology, the second decade shows convergence in benefits, which raises obvious questions about the prospect of GM technology. Since Bt cotton is the only GM crop technology widely adopted by smallholder farmers, the findings of this paper contribute to the broader public debate on the future of agricultural biotechnology.

Exploring the future of GM technology in sustainable local food systems in Colombia

The security of Earth's food systems is challenged by shifting regional climates. While agricultural processes are disrupted by climate change, they also play a large role in contributing to destabilizing greenhouse gases. Finding new strategies to increase yields while decreasing agricultural environmental impacts is essential. Tropical agriculture is particularly susceptible to climate change: local, smallholder farming, which provides a majority of the food supply, is high risk and has limited adaptation capacity. Rapid, inexpensive, intuitive solutions are needed, like the implementation of genetically modified (GM) crops. In the Latin American tropics, high awareness and acceptance of GM technologies, opportunities to test GM crops as part of local agricultural educations, and their known economic benefits, support their use. However, this is not all that is needed for the future of GM technologies in these areas: GM implementation must also consider environmental and social sustainability, which can be unique to a locality. Primarily from the perspective of its educators, the potential of a rural Colombian university in driving GM implementation is explored, including the role of this type of university in producing agricultural engineers who can innovate with GM to meet regionally-dependent environmental and cultural needs that could increase their sustainability.

Improving the agri-food biotechnology conversation: bridging science communication with science and technology studies

At a time when agri-food biotechnologies are receiving a surge of investment, innovation, and public interest in the United States, it is common to hear both supporters and critics call for open and inclusive dialogue on the topic. Social scientists have a potentially important role to play in these discursive engagements, but the legacy of the intractable genetically modified (GM) food debate calls for some reflection regarding the best ways to shape the norms of that conversation. This commentary argues that agri-food scholars interested in promoting a more constructive agri-food biotechnology discussion could do so by blending key insights, as well as guarding against key shortcomings, from the fields of science communication and science and technology studies (STS). Science communication's collaborative and translational approach to the public understanding of science has proven pragmatically valuable to scientists in academia, government, and private industry, but it has too often remained wedded to deficit model approaches and struggled to explore deeper questions of public values and corporate power. STS's critical approach has highlighted the need for multi-stakeholder power-sharing and the integration of diverse knowledge systems into public engagement, but it has done little to grapple with the prevalence of misinformation in movements against GM foods and other agri-food biotechnologies. Ultimately, a better agri-food biotechnology conversation will require a strong foundation in scientific literacy as well as conceptual grounding in the social studies of science. The paper concludes by describing how, with attention to the structure, content, and style of public engagement in the agri-food biotechnology debates, social scientists can play a productive conversational role across a variety of academic, institutional, community-level, and mediated contexts.

Consumer Awareness and Acceptance of Biotechnological Solutions for Gluten-Free Products

Celiac disease is an immune-mediated disorder caused by the ingestion of gluten proteins. The gluten-free diet is currently the only therapy to achieve the symptoms' remission. Biotechnological approaches are currently being explored to obtain safer and healthier food for celiacs. This article analyzes consumer awareness and acceptance of advanced biotechnologies to develop gluten-free products. An online snowball sampling questionnaire was proposed to 511 Italian participants, selected among celiac and non-celiac people, from December 2020 to January 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 64% of respondents favor food biotechnology, as long as it has benefits for health or the environment. Moreover, biotechnology perception differs according to education level and type. A total of 65% of the survey participants would taste gluten-free products obtained through a biotechnological approach, and 57% would buy them at a higher price than the current market price. Our results show a change in public opinion about the usefulness of food biotechnology and its moral acceptability compared to 20 years ago. However, the study of public opinion is very complex, dealing with individuals with social, economic, and cultural differences. Undoubtedly, the scientific dissemination of genetic biotechnologies must be more effective and usable to increase the level of citizens' awareness.

Possible EU futures for CRISPR-edited plants: Little margin for optimism?

This article addresses the scenarios that may be encountered by the first application for pre-market approval of a CRISPR-edited plant in the EU. Two alternative scenarios are considered in the short and medium term. One of these possible EU futures depends on the final drafting and approval of EU legislation on certain New Genomic Techniques, which was started in 2021 and is due to be quite advanced before the next European Parliament elections in 2024. Since the proposed legislation excludes plants with foreign DNA, two different approval processes for CRISPR-edited plants will coexist if the legislation enters into force: one for plants whose genome has been altered, resulting in mutagenesis, cisgenesis and intragenesis; and the second for plants whose alterations result in transgenesis in general. In the event that this legislative process does not succeed, CRISPR-edited plants in the EU could face a regulatory scenario whose foundations were laid in the 1990s: the regulatory framework that applies to GM crops, food and feed. In this review, an ad hoc analytical framework has been built that considers in depth the two possible futures for CRISPR-edited plants in the EU. This framework emphasises the way in which the European Union and the Member States (MS), with their respective national interests, have historically shaped the regulatory framework for plant breeding in the EU. On the basis of the analyses carried out on the two possible futures for CRISPR-edited plants and of their potential with respect to plant breeding, the main conclusions are the following. Firstly, that the regulatory review that started in 2021 is not in itself "good enough" for plant breeding and CRISPR-edited plants. Secondly, that compared to its alternative, the regulatory review currently underway contains at least some promising improvements in the short term. Hence, thirdly, in addition to adopting the current regulation, the MS need to continue to work towards a substantial improvement in the legal status of plant breeding in the EU in the medium term.

Public perception of plant gene technologies worldwide in the light of food security

Achieving global food security is becoming increasingly challenging and many stakeholders around the world are searching for new ways to reach this demanding goal. Here we demonstrate examples of genetically modified and genome edited plants introduced to the market in different world regions. Transgenic crops are regulated based on the characteristics of the product in many countries including the United States and Canada, while the European Union, India, China and others regulate process-based i.e. on how the product was made. We also present the public perception of state-of-the-art plant gene technologies in different regions of the world in the past 20 years. The results of literature analysis show that the public in Europe and North America is more familiar with the notion of genome editing and genetically modified organisms than the public in other world regions.

Misinformation in the media: global coverage of GMOs 2019-2021

Misinformation is a serious problem in scientific debates ranging from climate change to vaccines to nuclear power. In this study we quantitatively assess the phenomenon of misinformation - defined as information which is at variance with widely-accepted scientific consensus - on genetically modified crops and food ("GMOs") in the mainstream and online news media over a two-year period. We found an overall falsehood rate of 9% with a potential readership of 256 million. None of the misinformation was positive in sentiment; most was negative. About a fifth of Africa's media coverage on GMOs contained misinformation, a worrying finding given the potential for genetic engineering to deliver improved nutrition and food security in the continent. We conclude that misinformation about GMOs in the mainstream media is still a significant problem, and outranks the proportion of misinformation in other comparable debates such as COVID-19 and vaccines.

Genetically engineered crops for sustainably enhanced food production systems

Genetic modification of crops has substantially focused on improving traits for desirable outcomes. It has resulted in the development of crops with enhanced yields, quality, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. With the advent of introducing favorable traits into crops, biotechnology has created a path for the involvement of genetically modified (GM) crops into sustainable food production systems. Although these plants heralded a new era of crop production, their widespread adoption faces diverse challenges due to concerns about the environment, human health, and moral issues. Mitigating these concerns with scientific investigations is vital. Hence, the purpose of the present review is to discuss the deployment of GM crops and their effects on sustainable food production systems. It provides a comprehensive overview of the cultivation of GM crops and the issues preventing their widespread adoption, with appropriate strategies to overcome them. This review also presents recent tools for genome editing, with a special focus on the CRISPR/Cas9 platform. An outline of the role of crops developed through CRSIPR/Cas9 in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 is discussed in detail. Some perspectives on the approval of GM crops are also laid out for the new age of sustainability. The advancement in molecular tools through plant genome editing addresses many of the GM crop issues and facilitates their development without incorporating transgenic modifications. It will allow for a higher acceptance rate of GM crops in sustainable agriculture with rapid approval for commercialization. The current genetic modification of crops forecasts to increase productivity and prosperity in sustainable agricultural practices. The right use of GM crops has the potential to offer more benefit than harm, with its ability to alleviate food crises around the world.

Plants to mine metals and remediate land

Engineered plants can clean up pollution and recover technology-critical metals.

Similar Attitudes, Different Strategies: A Limited Survey of the Discourse Strategies to Oppose Genetically Modified Organisms Conspiracy Theories by Chinese Scientist Communicators and Citizen Communicators on Zhihu

The development of the digital media environment has led to a diversification in the role of science communicators. Both scientists and non-scientist citizens can act as science communicators in relation to online discussion of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Through a limited study, based on thematic and open coding of 60 answers provided by scientist science communicators and citizen science communicators on GMOs on Zhihu, the biggest Chinese knowledge sharing network, it has been found that "business conspiracy theories" about GMOs are the most mentioned and discussed theories, followed by the conspiracy theory of "GMOs as state control tool" on Zhihu. Both citizen science communicators and scientist science communicators are inclined to show oppositional attitudes to GMOs conspiracy theories on Zhihu, despite the differences in their scientific backgrounds; however, they use very different discourse strategies. Citizen science communicators tend to use "lay logic" with more rhetoric, while scientist science communicators tend to use direct scientific knowledge and logic with less rhetoric.