Large numbers of crops today are genetically modified, creating higher yields for consumers but putting pressure on smaller farmers.

Genetic modification is a technique used to alter the genetic makeup of organisms, including plants, according to the Human Genome Project Information Web site.

The concept of genetically modified foods has been around for decades, but is regarded with mixed emotions by scientists and professors.

The debate on genetically modified food encompasses culture, economics and health, said professor Philip Holden-Moses, who teaches a class about food and power in the expository writing program.

Holden-Moses said his problem with genetically modified foods is not the health concerns, but the economic control of farming by larger corporations.

Scientific research is allowing companies to literally rip apart seed banks, insert genes and put everything back together, thus giving them patented rights, Holden-Moses said.

He said such research is not helpful to the public, and in fact is harmful to local farmers because they may not be able to afford the expensive modified seeds.

Seeds are often modified to promote growth in certain climates or regions.

“Elsewhere people farm locally, like we used to do here,” Holden-Moses said.

Some intellectuals feel differently about the issue. OU Law Professor Drew L. Kershen said he thinks there are great advantages to cropping genetically modified foods.

Environmental issues are becoming more dominant, and the demand for food is growing, Kershen said. With genetically modified foods, farmers can grow more and increase their yield.

Steve Rhines, Vice President and General Council for the Noble Foundation, also said he notices economical and environmental benefits within genetically modified crops.

Rhines said several government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, are working to ensure the safety of citizens.

“We have to have confidence in these regulatory agencies to approve these technologies before they get on the market,” Rhines said.

Research shows there are about 250 million acres of genetically modified foods in the world, and as the crops grow, more of the hungry are fed, Kershen said.

Poor farmers also gain social returns, requiring less labor and allowing children to go to school and learn how to do other things besides farming, Kershen said.

“To not improve this technology is really denying the poor an opportunity to improve their lives,” he said.

Although Kershen said he believes genetically modified foods help third-world countries, Holden-Moses said he thinks it is just another way for the United States to “stamp out” other cultures.

Kershen said every country has its own say, and the U.S. is not interfering with cultural farming.

Americans are simply offering the option for other countries, and farmers can decide if genetically modified foods are beneficial for their farms, Kershen said.

“Many farmers have enthusiastically adopted these crops,” Kershen said.

Kershen said genetically modified foods are perfectly safe, and there is no reason to treat them differently than other foods.

Holden-Moses said although right now science has found no negative results on people’s health, we do not know how manipulated seeds will affect our health in the long run.

“We’re scared of not knowing what is manipulated and what it will do to us physically,” Holden-Moses said.

He said he just wants people, especially students, to be educated about what it takes to put genes in crops, and the risks associated with it.

“I hope students understand that choices they make locally on an individual basis affects not only their health, but others on a national level,” Holden-Moses said.

As more people begin to understand the issue, the impact will become greater, Holden-Moses said.