Genetically modified crops seems to be giving bad and scary picture to people. Since I am not a scientist, I don’t really know if it’s actually bad or not. But even though all the scientists from all over the world inform that GM crops does not have bad effect to humans, we probably still won’t be able to eliminate our negative feeling and will never take them as happily, don’t we?

I had no idea why they modify their crops until I actually engage into agriculture. I was thinking that it simply increases harvest yield, and sounds as if body builders inject themselves a steroids to make themselves bigger. But it’s actually a bit different.

So, what is that for then? First, modified crops has stronger resistant to pest. Second, it also has stronger resistant to herbicide. Notorious Monsant product is well known for example.

Then I realised after I have started doing agriculture myself that weeding is so damn hard work! It is almost like, I should be just focusing on weeding than growing any crop. It can be extremely attractive deal if weeding becomes easy task, especially for a commodity crops we grow which sells by ton and decreasing a cost is the winning factor, unlike some fruits crops like mangoes or strawberries or tomatoes that we can put the price on what we spend to take care of them.

GM crops and a cocktail of herbicide that doesn’t effect to the GM crops is such dream innovation for farmers. This is just a fact and we can’t deny. We can reduce a cost of labours or time and it even reduce a risk of health hazard with herbicide on labours. I know that organically grown crops are popular and ideal. And, Yes. I want to purchase something that are grown without any agrochemical and done weeding by hand. True. But when it cost a lot, it turns into a price. Such product becomes high in price of course. So, if cost of producing a crops should not be turn into a price, but the world demand “the product that cost a lot of human hand yet cheap”, it actually means that they allow modern time slave who “labour extreme work with cheap pay”.

But most can’t see this logic.

 Unlike simple vegetables that won’t be consumed in mass amount, the crops that are used for animal feed, that will be needing in big amount as current underdeveloped countries in the world economically grows and begin to intake much more meat product, or the crops for the other sector that cost lots of them in amount at a time can not turn the cost into the price easily. If economy is growing and demand is increasing but price is staying as the same, it means that someone is on a burden and taking a toll. Right? And that burden lead to price cutting war on either  “scientific innovation that has unclear future” or “modern time slave labours”.

Of course, price cutting war should be going on always, since it will be our, consumers, benefit. I am hoping to add another solution on these two unhealthy choice of burden. How about something like robotic farming? which robots do the work instead of human labours currently do. It’s the most needed innovation for agriculture sector I think. Umm…but I hope I can think of some way that we can do weeding better and cheaper and safer.