Genetically Modified Foods, Research Paper Example

Background of the Problem

The need for food security and the ever increasing population around the world has resulted in the need for leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders to come up with ways to address this problem effectively. This has been as a result of the increasing number of deaths, especially in the third world countries, as a result of hunger. In addition, carbon dioxide emissions in to the atmosphere have led to global warming that has resulted in to unpredictable weather changes that are not favorable to agricultural output.

This need has led scientists back to the laboratories where they have conducted research and have successfully been able to develop genetically modified crops. Genetically modified crops refers to foods that have been developed through specific changes carried out on their DNA through genetic engineering (McHughen, 2000). Genetic engineering involves the introduction of genes or the deletion of genes in an organism. These are crops have been modified so as to counter these changes in the environment such as climatic changes and pests ensuring continued food production.

Research Hypotheses

Despite this positive improvement in food production, genetically modified crops do have their own adverse effects on the environment as well (Pool & Esnayra, 2001). One such effect is the damage inflicted on the ecosystem in which they are grown. Genetically modified oilseed rape has been found to affect the amount of weeds that will grow in a farm resulting in a decrease in the quantity of food that is available to living organisms that exist in farms (Coghlan, 2004).

To be able to find out the extent of damage done on the ecosystem, a test is to be carried out using genetically modified oilseed rape. This test is geared towards establishing the amount of weed per acre between genetically modified oilseed rape and non modified oilseed rape. In carrying out this test, a sample of twenty one acre farms will be included with ten of them being planted with genetically modified oilseed rape, referred to as group A, while the other ten farms will be planted with non modified oilseed rape, referred to as group B. The hypothesis for this test is as follows:

• H1: Genetically modified oilseed rape reduces the amount of weeds per acre.
• H0: Genetically modified oilseed rape does not affect the amount of weeds per acre.
• Hc: Non modified oilseed rape increases the amount of weeds per acre.

The farms will be monitored in the course of growth of the oilseed rape so as to determine the amount of weed that will grow in each of the farms. The final amount of weeds per acre will be determined by finding out the total area covered by weeds compared to that covered y the oilseed rape plants in each of the farms.

Level of Significance

The level of significance refers to the risk one expects to incur while undertaking a test with reference to Type I error. In carrying out this test, a level of significance of 0.05 has been chosen. This is because the results of the test may support the null hypotheses which states that the genetically modified oilseed rape does not affect the amount of weeds per acre.

The Chi Square Hypothesis Test

The Chi Square hypothesis test is not appropriate for this test because the dependent variable in this test is not of a nominal nature since it does not have a presumed distribution. The amount of weed per acre will vary with each of the farms both in group A and group B. This is because the amount of weeds does not depend alone on the type of oilseed rape seed planted in a farm.

References

Coghlan, A. (2004).  Seeds of doubt sown over safety of modified crops.  New Scientist 184 (Is. 2476), 12.

McHughen, A. (2000). Pandora’s Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods. New York: Oxford University Press.

Pool, R. & Esnayra, J. (2001). Ecological monitoring of genetically modified crops: a workshop summary. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press.