Why is it important to evaluate yields in the United States, which currently produces food in abundance?
Farmers in the United States have grown more GE crops over a longer period of time than farmers in most other countries, offering more—and more reliable–data on their yields. U.S. agriculture also illustrates how GE stacks up against other advanced production technologies. By contrast, in resource-poor developing countries, addition of most types of resources, such as fertilizer or organic methods, can increase yields–so whether GE can increase yields in those countries is a less critical test of the technology. More data on yield are needed from developing countries, because data that are relevant in the United States are often not applicable to these countries.
