12-05-2008 14:32

Oddly enough, the USDA and IAASTD numbers state that genetically engineered crops have up to a 10% decrease in yield over conventionally grown crops and require more pesticide applications, especially over time. Perhaps, gmo crops are partially responsible for the shortages of food crops when you look at it that way, 10% of all the gm acres is a lot of food. 
 
info sources: 
By contrast, the US Department of Agriculture's review of 10 years of GM crop cultivation in the States concluded, "currently available GM crops do not increase the yield potential... In fact, yield may even decrease if the varieties used to carry the herbicide tolerant or insect-resistant genes are not the highest yielding cultivars". (Fernandez-Cornejo, J. & Caswell, Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States, USDA/ERS Economic Information Bulletin No. 11, April 2006) http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/eib11/eib11.pdf  
An earlier USDA report (2002) also noted that GM crops do not increase yield potential and may reduce yields (p21). That report also says, "Perhaps the biggest issue raised by these results is how to explain the rapid adoption of GE crops when farm financial impacts appear to be mixed or even negative." (p24) (Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo and William D. McBride, Adoption of Bioengineered Crops, Agricultural Economic Report No. AER810, May 2002) http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer810 
 
http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2898 
 
Biotechnology - The use of GM crops, where the technology is not contained, is contentious, the UN says. Data on some crops indicate highly variable yield gains in some places and declines in others. 
 
http://www.twnside.org.sg/title2/susagri/susagri033.htm

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