_devang

Patenting of plants predates GMOs and actually, the majority of patented plant varieties are non-GMO. GMO plants are not sterile. They are usually hybrids and like with all hybrids (even non-GMO) their offspring do not maintain the same traits. This is why Monsanto's (and other non-GM hybrid seed providers) agreements with farmers do not allow for replanting--they don't want liability for trait failure in offspring.

thanks for empathizing! I am very happy with my future research direction though :)

My point regarding patents was that these questions do not get asked (or not with such ferocity) of my colleagues in biomedicine. Most people seem ok with medical researchers having patents but not plant/agricultural research.

I do not think malnutrition is a technological problem, but it does have a technological solution, or rather, technology is a part of the solution.

I cited the same link in my article. But there are uses of GM technology that cannot be achieved using gene editing. The best example is Bt crops for insect resistance. This is a hugely important trait that is only possible through genetic engineering.

I'm probably with you on this but there is an environmental advantage to herbicide tolerant crops (GMO or not). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5033196/

Also indoor farming/hydroponics is great for crops that are mainly water (think tomato or lettuce) but much less so for staple calorie crops like corn or wheat.