Pesticides and Genetically Modified Organisms - Essay Example

Pests pose a threat to crop production. In recent times, coupled with the need for increased food production and better farming methods, the use of pesticides has been the trend in most farms. It is a fact that pesticides are very effective ways of controlling pests. When crops are sprayed with pesticides while on the farm, they would grow without the interference of pests and other diseases thus increasing the possibility of having very good yields.

Pesticides would also ensure that stored food, especially cereals, stays for long periods without any destruction from probable pests. However, the consequence of this is devastating. The chemicals used in the pesticides, though not poisonous to the man on instant use, would accumulate in the body, posing risks such as developing deadly diseases like cancer. Levine (2007) says that pesticides are not harmful to human beings, but excessive use of foods that have elements of the chemicals is harmful to the body.

The danger may not be instant, but the negative impact would surely come. Genetically modified foods are equally unsafe. The fact that they increase food productivity notwithstanding, the modification makes them unsafe. This modification interferes with the normal arrangement of the DNA in the food.