GMOs can be valuable in many ways. Medical, agricultural, and aesthetic applications of GM animals and microorganisms are detailed under other FAQ subsections.
The regular consumer may be more interested in knowing more about the benefits of GM foods. To date, all GM foods available commercially are derived from so-called “first generation” GM plants which have been bioengineered for agronomic benefits such as pest- and herbicide-resistance.
Proponents of pest-resistant GM crops say that the application of GM technology limits the need for spraying of pesticides and that this can have a beneficial impact on the environment.
According to ISAAA’s 2012 Review on the Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops, more than 15 million of biotech crop farmers were small, resource-poor farmers from developing countries whose increased income from biotech crops can contribute to alleviation of their poverty.
While the “first generation” GM crops do not have direct consumer benefits, some people believe that genetic modification provides a solution to the problem of global malnutrition. Scientists have developed “second generation” GM plants with enhanced nutritional contents. Although none of these have yet been commercialized, several are in the pipeline for regulatory approval. A good example will be “Golden Rice” that is rich in pro-vitaminA. The WHO estimates that up to half a million children go blind each year because of vitamin A deficiency. With this in mind, some people see “Golden Rice” as having the potential of reducing childhood blindness in developing countries.