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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Agriculture Report. |
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The World Food Prize has been awarded to three developers |
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of genetically modified crops,or GMOs. |
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Mary-Dell Chilton, Marc van Montagu and Rob Fraley |
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received the award on October 17th. |
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The award praises the technology they created |
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for being able to increase the quantity |
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and availability of food, |
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it also says GMOs help deal with a growing world population |
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and changes in weather patterns. |
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But the selection of the three scientists |
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has been criticized by people |
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who question the safety and value of GMOs. |
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In the 1970s, Marc van Montagu, |
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a Belgian scientist discovered bacteria in soil |
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performing a kind of natural genetic engineering. |
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He found that the bacteria placed a piece of |
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their genetic material, or DNA inside the plant cells, |
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the cells then produce chemicals |
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that work good for the bacteria. |
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bacteria can insert DNA |
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to give a new property to a plant, |
| [01:21.87]we were able to replace that part of the DNA [with] |
DNA |
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that we want that gives new, |
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useful properties to the plant," van Montagu said. |
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His work was the beginning of plant biotechnology. |
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Mary-Dell Chilton and Rob Fraley both Americans, |
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produced the first genetically modified plants using that technology. |
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Ms Chilton was studying a common plant infection called crown gall |
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when she witnessed the same thing as Mr van Montagu. |
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She discovered that it forms when a germ called Agrobacterium |
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puts a piece of its own DNA into the plant cell's genes, |
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the plant then makes food for the bacteria. |
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Ms Chilton, Mr van Montagu and Mr Fraley |
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along with the Monsanto company created the technology |
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to reproduce plants while changing their DNA. |
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Genetic engineering can add information to plants |
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to produce different kinds of things, |
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such as a protein that kills insects. |
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Farmers quickly accepted and supported the new technology |
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first used in 1996. |
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Nearly all the corn and cotton |
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grown in the United States is made with GMOs. |
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The World Food Prize organization in the American state of IOWA says |
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17 million farmers worldwide grew GMO crops in 2012. |
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It says the technology increased production |
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and reduced the usage of harmful chemical on crops. |
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Doug Gurian-Sherman is a scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. |
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He says the technology could be useful, |
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but as there is no proof it is necessary to feed the world. |
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"My understanding of the prize is you should be giving it to people |
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that have shown major positive, |
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unequivocally positive accomplishments in world agriculture. |
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And I don't see, so far, |
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this technology being anywhere near that yet," Gurian-Sherman said. |
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Opposition to GMOs is also spreading. |
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In the Philippines, protesters destroyed test fields of rice |
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that had been genetically engineered to produce vitamin A. |
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And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English. |
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I'm Christopher Cruise. |
