what would you grow in your iGarden?

While there is a great deal of information regarding agricultural genetic engineering presented throughout this section, we also took some time to find out what people in our community thought about this international topic. We interviewed and surveyed sixty individuals of the Cambridge community. These individuals were students, local farmers, and patrons of our local farmer markets. We asked which characteristics of plants these individuals would be most comfortable modifying, as well as if they would feel more comfortable growing their own genetically modified foods than purchasing from a conventional farm that produces genetically modified foods. We also asked whether or not each individual had a food allergy, and if he or she would be willing to eat food that was genetically modified to be hypoallergenic.

Of the people polled, most approved of modifying food crops to increase nutritional value (63%) but significantly fewer supported modification of flavor (37%), allergens (5%), color (10%), or sugar content (8%).

Respondents were fairly split over whether they would be comfortable growing genetically modified foods in their own gardens:

For those suffering from food allergy, all were very likely to eat food engineered to be hypoallergenic. Of those without food allergies, respondents were mixed on whether they would eat hypoallergenic food if they had food allergies.

Our survey had too small of a sample size to conclusively say anything about the feelings members of our community have about genetically engineering foods, but they indicate that we have a lot of work to do in making the iGarden safe and positive for others in our community.

Help us learn more about what modifications are important to you and make the iGarden better by filling in our continuing survey!