Our Perspective
Report: Biotech seeds are fastest adopted crop technology ever
By C. Waggoner, sustainability writer
Posted about 1 year ago
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Biotech seeds are the fastest adopted crop technology in the history of modern agriculture, according to a new report from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA). . The report attributes this rapid adoption to the significant economic and environmental benefits offered by the technology.
Researchers around the world, in both the public and private sectors, use biotechnology to develop better seeds for farmers. These biotech seeds - also known as "GM seeds" or "genetically modified seeds" - represent a key solution to the challenges facing our planet. Together with advanced breeding techniques and better on-farm management practices, biotech seeds can help growers meet the needs of our rapidly growing population while also protecting the earth's natural resources for future generations.
Farmers first started planting biotech seeds in the U.S. in 1996. Since then, the technology has been made available to millions of farmers of all sizes around the world. According to ISAAA's report, more than 15 million farmers in 29 countries planted biotech seeds in 2010. Notably, 90 percent of those 15 million farmers were small, resource-poor growers in developing countries.
Global adoption of the technology has been nothing short of amazing. The report found that biotech seeds were planted on 365 million acres in 2010. That represents a year-over-year increase of 10 percent (as compared to 2009). In 2010, three countries planted biotech seeds for the first time: Pakistan, Myanmar and Sweden. More than half the world's population now lives in a biotech seed growing country, according to the ISAAA.
The economic and environmental benefits of biotech are such that, once they try the technology, most farmers choose to keep it. In fact, according to the report, "close to 100 percent of farmers decide to continue planting after their first experience with biotech crops because of the benefits they offer."
Biotech seeds can help farmers around the world lead improved lives. According to ISAAA, farmers have earned an additional $65 billion from using biotech seeds since 1996. In many cases, this additional farm income can help farmers lift themselves out of poverty and provide better lives for their families.
Biotech seeds can also help growers protect the environment "by saving 393 million kg of pesticides; in 2009 alone reducing CO2 emissions by 18 billion kg, equivalent to taking ~8 million cars off the road; and conserving biodiversity by saving 75 million hectares of land," according to the report.
Learn more about ISAAA's findings:
