Final answer:
Allocating funds to GMO research is essential for increasing crop yields and improving food security by developing crops with better pest and disease resistance, improved nutritional value, and enhanced tolerance to environmental stresses.
Step-by-step explanation:
Money should be allocated to research and produce GMOs to increase crop yields, improve nutritional content, and address food security. Genetic engineering in agriculture can provide significant advantages, such as making crop production cheaper and more manageable. For instance, crops can be engineered to tolerate specific herbicides or to be resistant to pests, which can decrease the use of pesticides and reduce agricultural losses.
Despite some early promises of genetically engineered (GE) crops not being fully realized, significant benefits have accrued. Some GE crops have resulted in the reduction of agricultural losses from pests, reduced pesticide use, and reduced injury rates from insecticides for farm workers. Additionally, crops like golden rice and virus-resistant papayas have been developed to increase nutritional capacity or to combat plant diseases that threaten food security.