Organic Practices Beat Out Genetic Engineering in Drought Tolerance

It seems that genetically modified (GM) crops consistently fail to deliver, no matter what perspective you examine them from. DuPont called GM drought resistance the next "big thing," and last year, Monsanto began hyping drought-resistant GM corn. Monsanto may feel it's entitled to a little crowing after reporting yield increases between 6.7 and 13.4 percent over conventionally-grown corn varieties in drought conditions. But there's one, little problem: Plain, old organic agriculture does a far superior job.

The Rodale Institute's Farming Systems Trial has been studying the performance of conventional-versus-organic agriculture in various conditions for more than 30 years, slowly dismantling the myth that organic farms produce less food with more resources. Want to guess how much of an increase in yields during drought conditions the Institute observed with organic corn compared to non-GM, conventionally grown corn? Try a whopping average of 31 percent higher! That's the same kind of corn Monsanto used in its control group, proving that organic ag offers higher yields than GM plants. Looks like Monsanto shouldn't have been so quick to toot its own horn.

Building up soil with organic material — which organic agriculture does fantastically — greatly increases the soil's capacity to retain water. By contrast, conventional agriculture, with it's over-reliance on chemicals, frequently depletes topsoil and organic matter. Comparing the Rodale Institute numbers with Monsanto's results, it's clear that improving the soil returns much greater results than engineering the genes of the plant itself. And unlike buying GM seeds, an investment in soil only increases in value, paying dividends year after year in the form of healthier, better-fed plants more resistant to drought and disease, which of course translates to increased yields.

As I reported previously, GMOs have already failed to deliver on promises of yield increases with insect- and herbicide-resistant varieties. Farmer Joe selecting the best of his crop for replanting year after year has done a far better job of improving yields than GM ever has — a practice, by the way, that's illegal with GM crops. The engineered seeds' genes are patent-protected, so any attempts to save seed are aggressively prosecuted by companies like Monsanto. Now we come to find out the next big, GM innovation similarly falls far behind traditional, sustainable agricultural practices in performance.

One has to wonder why we keep sinking so much time, energy, and money into a technology that consistently lags behind the rest of the class. Sure, science is sexy, but at a certain point we need think seriously about where this relationship is heading.

Photo credit: Alan Turkus via Flickr