GM does not feed the world

Proponents of GM claim that it will feed the world!!!

"In Argentina, the ‘success' of the GM soybean story must largely be attributed to marketing by the seed companies involved, rather than scientific evidence and farmer experience.” Walter Pengue, agricultural engineer specialized in genetic improvement at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Argentina is the world's second largest producer of genetically engineered crops, in particular soy. Eight years after the introduction of GM soy, the biotech industry's claims that its crops are environmentally and socially benign have yet to bear fruit. Increasing evidence shows that GM soy is exacerbating the existing agricultural model, which is increasing poverty, damaging the environment and threatening food security for the vast majority of Argentineans.
During the last quarter of a century, soybean production increased at a swift rate from an area of 38,000 hectares in 1970 to approximately 13 million hectares in 2003. Around 70 percent of the soy harvested is converted into oil, and most of it is exported. Argentina is the source of 81 percent of the world's exported soy oil, and 36 percent of the soybean meal.
GM soy was introduced in Argentina in the last half of the 1990s. Argentinean farmers started using the GM ‘Roundup Ready Soy' sold by Monsanto in 1996, and after a few years practically all of the soy produced in the country was genetically modified.
smaller yields and more herbicides
Two of the biotech industry's main arguments are that GM crops increase yields and that they require fewer herbicides. The experience in Argentina shows exactly the opposite. Roundup Ready soy does not have higher yields. The increase in Argentinean soy production is the result of an increase in acreage, for example by the replacement of other crops with soy or by using more forestland, contributing to deforestation.
Roundup Ready soy has proven to require more, not less, herbicide than conventional soy. In 2001, more than 9.1 million more kilograms of herbicide were used for GM soy in comparison with non-GM. The use of glyphosate herbicide (sold by Monsanto) doubled from 28 million liters in the period 1997-98 to 56 million liters in 1998-1999, and reached 100 million in the 2002 season.
Moreover, weeds resistant to Roundup Ready soy have already been identified in Argentina , and this is contributing further to the increased use of herbicides. This weed resistance has prompted the use of highly toxic herbicides with Roundup Ready soy, and farmers have started using herbicides, including some that are banned in other countries (including 2,4-D, 2,4-DB, Atrazine, Paraquat and Metsulphuron Methyl).
more poverty
A myth constantly promoted by proponents of GM crops is that they are key to solving global hunger and poverty. The example of Argentina , the world's second largest producer of GM crops, demonstrates the opposite.
Millions of Argentineans go to bed hungry each night. There are many causes for the current situation in Argentina , but is clear that the promotion of GM soy is further boosting the current model of export-oriented agriculture. This model is enriching a few and relegating the majority of Argentineans to poverty. Within the past decade, 160,000 small farming families have been forced from the land, unable to compete with large farms. GM soy has exacerbated this trend towards large-scale, industrialized agriculture, and is thus aggravating poverty.
potential health risks
Faced with an increase in poverty, large amounts of soy and a lack of other agricultural products, the Argentinean government began to promote soy as a healthy alternative to traditional foodstuffs such as meat and milk. A campaign called ‘Soja Solidaridad' (Soy Solidarity) was launched. Soup kitchens started serving soy-based meals, and cookbooks were written with soy-based recipes. As a result, many people are consuming soy-based foods on a daily basis. This entails potential risks for the health of these populations. Although soy can form part of a healthy diet, there is a large body of scientific evidence showing that an over-reliance upon soy can have nutritionally damaging effects. Too much soy can inhibit the absorption of calcium, iron, zinc and Vitamin B12, and may produce problems like early onset of puberty in girls.
source: Grupo de Reflexion Rural Argentina