WHEN one considers looming global problems, the case for greater use of biotechnology is strong and its application to agriculture makes it stronger still.
In fact, those at recent biotechnology events are unreservedly bullish on the potential of agriculture to help improve global conditions. They’re confident that biotechnology will be an important tool in effecting needed changes.
Projections indicate that global population will grow to 10 billion by 2025 from about 6.2 billion today. That’s going to require a major increase in food production on essentially the same amount of land.
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Consider these additional four horsemen of the apocalypse: climate change; obesity and malnutrition; lack of energy security; and a shortage of ample fresh water. Then look at the solutions that biotechnology in partnership with agriculture may provide.
In the case of climate change, there’s carbon sequestration and biofuel production, both of which can be improved through genetic modification of various food and fuel crops.
For the twin problems of starvation in the developing world and obesity in the developed world, biotechnology applied via new crop varieties can bring adequate food to the hungry, more nutritious food to the malnourished and healthier food to the obese.
To address the limits on fossil fuels, biotechnology has potential to develop crops more suitable for biofuel, such as switchgrass, sorghum, poplar, willow and other crops with huge biomass that can be used in cellulosic biofuel production.
Drought and saline tolerant crop varieties could free up water for other uses.
As a practical matter, however, those who develop and commercialize biotechnology know farmers have to turn a profit before they turn their attention to saving the world. Fortunately the two are not mutually exclusive.
Biotech crops in development address profitability by using less fertilizer, using nitrogen more efficiently, having greater drought and frost tolerance and delivering higher yields. Research on each of these applications is well developed, with many new genetic traits in various crops nearly ready for commercial release.
And many farmers are eager to plant them. Resistance to genetic modification in Europe, Australia and Africa is weakening.
According to the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotechnology Applications, there are more than 10 million farmers in 22 countries now planting biotech crops, up from 8.5 million in 2005. The ISAAA says that biotech adoption has improved production and farm income around the world by five to 50 percent. In 2006 alone, biotech crop production value was more than $50 billion worldwide.
The figures are staggering, the global problems are large but the potential for agriculture is truly fantastic.
Does agriculture owe it to the world and to future generations to explore the responsible use of biotechnology? It’s a pretty strong case indeed.
Bruce Dyck, Terry Fries, Barb Glen, D’Arce McMillan and Ken Zacharias collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
