Question

How can we increase the food production?
A. By agrochemical based agriculture
B. By Organic agriculture
C. By genetically engineering crop-based agriculture
D. All of the above

Answer 1

There is an ever-increasing need for food in the world and this need calls for increased production of staple food items. The method that results in high yield of crops should be sustainable towards the environment and should not involve chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The best way would be to induce changes in the plant that result in a high yield.

Complete answer:
We can increase food production by practicing genetically engineered crop-based agriculture. By genetically engineering crops, we can produce Genetically Modified (GM) crops that are crops that contain the gene/DNA of a desirable characteristic. For example, a crop can be genetically engineered to contain a gene that produces a pesticide, thus protecting the plant from pathogen attack.

Genetically modified crops have various advantages:
- They provide a higher yield than usual
- They are resistant to environmental stresses like droughts or frost
- They possess a high nutritional value
- They are even resistant to pathogens

They do not require the use of fertilizers and pesticides, which helps in preventing pollution
When crops are grown through the traditional methods, most of the yield goes to waste either due to a pathogenic attack or gets destroyed due to some natural calamity. Using genetic engineering ensures a healthy crop production, thereby fulfilling the increased need.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C).

Note: Even though genetically engineering crops is one of the best ways of increasing food, there are a few drawbacks to it.
- There is a risk to the safety of food items.
- If the transgenic plants are made to cross-breed with the wild types, the natural ecosystem could get contaminated by the foreign genes.
- The toxins produced by some plants towards insects can also attack those insects that are actually beneficial to the proper growth of the plant.