Essay Type
Agree or Disagree
In this essay type, you have to agree or disagree. Often times students make the mistake to write about both, where you shouldn't. Pick ONE side (agree or disagree) and stick to it in the whole essay.
You are supposed to have a strong opinion defending or being against the idea. Provide logical ideas and creative examples on why you have that strong opinion.
What is a GMF?
Genetically modified food (GMF) is food that has changes in its DNA using the method of genetic engineering. Thanks to this method, new traits can be introduced to a type of plant or animal to control its growth, shape, size, smell, taste, appearance, etc.
For example:
Naturally grown apples look different, have a weak yellow coloring, the taste may be sweet or sour, their size is definitely smaller than commercial apples, the shape is oftentimes distorted, etc.
Commercial apples (GM apples) are perfectly round, perfectly red on every side, taste only sweet, and can be grown in very large sizes.
All of this change was done thanks to generic modifications of the apple. The main reason for the change is mass production of the same product and eventually higher profits for the corporation or farmer. People would most often buy only "perfect apples" instead of the other "leftover" food.
This can be applied to every other fruit or vegetable, as all of them have been modified in one way or another.
Food Shortage: Why?
There are many reasons why we might have a food shortage in certain areas around the world, and those can include geography, economic conditions, corruption of governments, wars, worldwide distribution, and many more. Before we answer the question above, we should learn about the whole problem of food shortage, what causes it and what can be done about it.
Let's take a look at a few reasons and then discuss solutions.
Reasons:
Reason 1: Distribution
One of the biggest reasons for food shortage is probably distribution or moving resources from one place to another. As the world transportation system is controlled tightly by a few global transportation monopolies, they oftentimes would straight up refuse to ship food around the world, simply because they won't be able to make a profit on that transportation. This creates a bottleneck system where food remains stuck at certain places in the world and has to be consumed only there.
Reason 2: Overconsumption and Waste
This is a huge problem in developed countries. In countries like the USA, China, or some developed European nations, people overconsume food to a huge extent. There is a growing problem with obesity, which comes directly from huge portions, a vast amount of fast food, snacks, and sweet delights. Food waste is a ridiculous problem as well, where restaurants and huge fast food chains throw out tons and tons of food daily, as they are unable to sell or do anything with it.
Reason 3: Geography and Climate Change
It is a non-debatable fact that climate change is here and it is affecting agriculture all around the world. The countries hit the hardest will be the ones along the equator, but the effect will be felt all around the world. This will affect heavily crops yield and reduce the number of food resources available in the world. With the weather changing constantly, we might not be able to engineer crops quickly enough for them to grow well in those changing conditions.
Reason 4: Capitalism and Profit
This problem is somewhat related to the first one about distribution. The main issue that creates world hunger is greed, monopolies, and unchecked capitalism. As wealthy countries and individuals control the means of production for food, they keep prices high and this keeps poor nations or societies hungry. It is so bad that in many cases large producers of meat or vegetables are willing to destroy their production, only to keep prices high or keep selling entirely to wealthy nations.
Solutions:
Solution 1: Distribution
The problems with distribution are linked directly to capitalism and globalization. The world should have never allowed for huge monopolies to control the flow of goods in and out of countries. What can be done is perhaps treating these huge transportation companies with either incentive (rewards) for shipping food or punishing them heavily for refusal. They are supposed to be a public good, and there should be strong government action against all sorts of monopolies, no matter where they come from.
Solution 2: Overconsumption and Waste
A solution for this is again government control. It sounds like a loss of freedom or loss of independence, but there should be strict and dramatic control of diet and food in the developed nations. Restaurants and food chains should not be allowed to make huge portions that could in any normal time feed a whole family, and sell that to a single person. All of that is done because of greed and carelessness for human health. Moreover, food waste should be fought vigorously, and all types of wasteful companies should be held accountable. Those resources of food can go and should go to other people, instead of being wasted and destroyed.
Solution 3: Geography and Climate Change
This is going to be one of the toughest challenges. Fertile soil naturally occurs in only some areas around the world, while other areas have scarce or non-existent. The solution is obviously international cooperation. Countries that are unlucky to have low-yielding soil or shifting climate patterns, have to receive generous help from luckier nations. This whole process should be transparent, cheap, and effective, in order to support those nations' development and avoid mass migrations.
Solution 4: Capitalism and Profit
This is a very tough problem to solve, as power is absolutely in the hands of the rich and powerful. There should be a system, or an international institution that is neutral from governments and corruption, and has the power to block, ban, control, or persuade companies and producers in any nation, no matter if they are in a powerful or weak nation, to change their attitude and prices. This type of organization should be profit free, focusing on securing equal nutrition across all nations of the world. It is a long shot, and probably will never happen, but it is one type of solution.
These are a few ideas in general when writing about food shortages and starvation. In our case here, the topic discusses "gene-modified food" and whether it is an adequate solution. If you agree with the statement, then you need to provide the benefits of GM food. Some benefits can be:
Mass Production - gene-modified food allows mass production of one type one style "uniform" crops that can yield more than traditional crops. (Example: Corn being mass-produced in the USA and used as anything from biofuel, sweetener, staple food, etc.)
Adaptability - changing the gene of foods improves their durability, their ability to grow in unfriendly environments, and their ability to adapt to changing climates. (Example: Rice being modified in China and being planted in all sorts of environments including flooded humid areas in the south, dry and hot locations in the north, mountainous regions, and even in salty seawater).
Appeal - although that's not in their interest, humans like perfection and are willing to spend more to buy perfectly looking vegetables and fruit, rather than the naturally-grown imperfect variants. (Example: think perfectly looking apples, bananas, watermelons, huge cucumbers, perfectly round and red tomatoes, etc.)
However, if you disagree, you can use the reasons and solutions above. You can say that even though gene-modified foods are on the rise, massive companies still hold monopoly rights to these foods and technology which will prevent the food to reach the people that need it the most. The technology is definitely good, but it won't change geography, capitalism, or human greed, which is the underlined problem in this case. It is not that the world doesn't have food, it is that we don't want to share it at affordable prices with everyone.
Example Essay:
"One of the most important issues facing the world today is a shortage of food and some think genetically modified foods are a possible solution"
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Vocabulary related to the topic
Sentence starters and Linking words
Idioms and Phrases
Introduction
The idea of a food shortage seems somewhat alien to people from the developed world, especially those living in large megacities. However, predominantly in the last decade, big forces like climate change, international conflicts, economic failure, and income disparities have brought up the topic into the mainstream again. Some believe that genetically modified crops are the solution to this crisis, and although being a net benefit to society, I’d have to disagree, as this innovation does not solve the overarching issues of distribution and human greed. I will provide a few reasons in this essay supporting my decision.
Phrases:
Vocabulary:
the developed world - wealthy, rich countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, the UK, and more.
large megacities - cities with huge populations like Shanghai, New York, Los Angelis, Berlin, London, etc.
a decade - 10 years
a big force - something strong and powerful that affects the world
climate change - the change and rise of temperatures in the world
international conflict - fights, arguments, and misunderstandings between countries
economic failure - having problems with the economy, having economic crises
income disparity - income gap, large differences between the top earners and the bottom earners
mainstream - popular, in the spotlight, being discussed by many people
crops - food that grows on the ground, vegetables and grains
a crisis - a big problem with a country or the world
*IDIOM* - a net benefit - an absolute benefit, a positive development
innovation - improvement of something, making something better, more efficient, cheaper, and so on.
overarching - above all, the most important, the top
distribution - the spread, transportation, delivery, and sharing of resources
greed - the constant need for financial gain, that can never be satisfied
Linking Phrases / Sentence Beginners:
The idea of__________seems __________ ,especially __________.
However, predominantly _________, have brought up the topic into _________.
Some believe that __________, and although __________, I'd have to disagree, as __________.
I will provide a few reasons in this essay supporting my decision.
Paragraph 1
Initially, it may seem that genetically modified crops can be an easy solution to the crisis. After all, they can grow quickly, they can be mass-produced easily, they can yield more than traditional crops and that means we can feed everyone around the world with ease. This whole picture is wrong, as simply producing a lot does not mean that that food can be shared evenly across the world. It is a well-known fact that most rich and wealthy nations like the US, Canada, France, or Germany hold monopoly power on many new technologies. Not only that, but they protect that monopoly power of their mega-corporations and that means that this technology cannot and will not be shared with the rest of the world. What good is creating these amazing technologies, if they are not shared with any nation that actually needs them? In this case, wealthy nations overproduce and hoard resources, including food, and develop huge problems with rising obesity, while other nations suffer from malnutrition. It is an unjust system that needs to be changed, in order to help feed the world and not just the rich part of it.
Phrases:
Vocabulary:
solution - a way to fix something, a way to solve something
*IDIOM* - with ease - very easy, effortlessly
mass-produced - something that can be made quickly and on a large scale, making thousands or hundreds of thousands of things quickly
yield - the amount of produced crops (vegetables, fruit, grain)
traditional crops - non-gene-modified crops, organic crops
*IDIOM* -to hold monopoly power - to have full control of a system and to try to keep that control for yourself
mega-corporations - a multinational corporation (company), a company that has unlimited resources and power
to overproduce - to make more than needed
to hoard resources - to collect and keep resources only for yourself, without sharing, to pile up
obesity - becoming unhealthily fat
malnutrition - to consume very less nutrients because of a lack of good quality food
unjust system - a system that is unfair or lacks fairness for everyone
Linking Phrases / Sentence Beginners:
Initially,it may seem that _________.
After all _________.
This whole picture is wrong as, _________.
It is a well-known fact that _________.
Not only that but _________ and that means that _________.
What good is _________, if they are not _________.
In this case _________, while _________.
It is __________, in order to _________ and not just _________.
Paragraph 2
Secondly, the problem with genetically-modified food is that of distribution. There is a massive waste of food happening in the developed world which is clearly presented by the fast-food industry. Daily, millions of tons of actually edible, quality food are being trashed, fed to animals, burned, destroyed, or used for biofuel, instead of feeding people. This is a problem with monopolies and distribution. Often times shipping monopolies refuse to ship food from one country to another, as there is low or no profit on those shipments. Food monopolies produce a lot, however, they would prefer to destroy their own production, rather than drop the price, as profits and making money is always above feeding those in need. In a way, the food distribution and supply system are absolutely broken and unjust, and that solidifies the case that genetically-modified food won’t save the world. In fact, it might create a larger problem with waste, rather than feeding everyone in need.
Phrases:
Vocabulary:
distribution - the sharing, shipping, and transportation of resources
waste of food - inefficient use of food
the fast-food industry - the big companies in the fast-food industry like KFC, Mcdonald's, Burger King, etc.
edible - able to eat, good for eating
to be trashed - to be destroyed or thrown in the trash
biofuel - fuel made of plants like corn or other grains
shipping monopolies - companies that control the shipping industry
to ship - to send something by sea
to profit - to gain money out of something
to drop the price - to reduce the price, to lower the price
profits - financial gain, money
a supply - the making and bringing of goods to the goods market
Linking Phrases / Sentence Beginners:
Secondly, the problem with _________.
There is a massive _________.
Daily, millions of tons of _________, instead of _________.
This is a problem with __________.
Often times __________, as __________,
__________, however they would prefer to _________, rather than __________, as _________ is always above _________.
In a way __________, and that solidifies the case that __________.
In fact, it might __________, rather than __________.
Conclusion
In a word, the world suffers from unjust, corrupt systems of food supply, and that is one of the main reasons for a food shortage. As climate change and global conflicts build up steam, we are faced with this unparallel challenge – should we feed the needy, or simply close down and focus on our own. The world needs a better system of international cooperation and understanding, that fights monopolies rigorously, shares technology with kindness, and utilizes genetically-modified foods, in order to lift up nations all around the globe. Hopefully, we can achieve that in the foreseeable future.
546 Words*
*This essay was written in 30 minutes. It is quite long but gives a deep and thoughtful discussion on the problems of food supply and production.
Phrases:
Vocabulary:
unjust - unfair, not normally right
corrupt system -dishonest behavior by the people operating the system, seeking large amounts of money in order to function or making favors
unparallel challenge - unmatched, inconceivable, unprecedented challenge
*IDIOM* - to build up steam - to increase speed (from steam trains), to accelerate, to grow quickly
the needy - the poor, those in need
international cooperation - countries working together hand in hand, helping and supporting each other
a monopoly - a company or few companies that have full control over one industry and control the price, production, and everything else
*IDIOM* - to lift (people) up - to improve the lives of people
rigorous - hard and strong, without any rest
to utilize - to use effectively and efficiently
nations - countries
the globe - the world, Earth
foreseeable - predictable, one that can be seen, near or close to our time (future) (10-20 years)
Linking Phrases / Sentence Beginners:
In a word _________, and that is one of the main reasons for _________.
As _________, we are faced with __________.
Hopefully, we can achieve _________.