Beyond increased yields, what are some of the benefits of biotech products?
Beyond increased yields, what are some of the benefits of biotech products?
Beyond increased yields, what are some of the benefits of biotech products?
Re: Beyond increased yields, what are some of the benefits of biotech products?
The first genetically engineered products were medicines designed to combat human diseases. Insulin, used to treat diabetics, and blood clot-reducing enzymes for heart attack victims are now produced easily and cheaply as a result of biotechnology. In agriculture, first generation biotechnology products have traits that result in reduced pesticide use or higher yields due to reduced pest losses. Bt cotton, for example, is a widely grown biotech crop that kills several important cotton pests. These products provide indirect benefits for consumers and the environment through lower agricultural chemical usage.
Every day, more and more seed varieties with potential direct benefits for consumers are being field tested in the United States under approvals from U.S. regulatory agencies. Some of the products of this research are already appearing on grocery shelves in the United States and in the European Union, such as cheeses, yogurts, and new cooking oils derived from soybeans. Products in development also include those with improved nutritional value. For example, a new rice variety developed in Switzerland under a Rockefeller Foundation grant provides vitamin A. Each year nearly 1 million child deaths and 14 million children with blindness and other eye problems have been linked to vitamin A deficiency. Another variety of rice will soon provide twice the iron as currently available rice varieties. Also in development are soybeans with enhanced nutrient content for use in animal feed and corn that contains phosphorus in a form more easily absorbed by livestock. This latter product could reduce the use of supplements while at the same time helping the environment by lowering the amount of phosphorous in animal waste.
Biotechnology developments also have tremendous benefit for developing countries where almost a billion people live in poverty and suffer from chronic hunger. Seventy percent of those people are poor farmers who face huge crop productivity losses owing to insects, drought, and low soil fertility. New varieties of grains, many of which provide a stable calorie source for developing country populations, are being developed that can grow on land that is currently unsuitable for cultivation. The fact is that land under cultivation worldwide simply is no longer sufficient to feed the growing global population. Biotechnology can improve agricultural production for subsistence farmers, driving rural economic development and increased food security. Using biotechnology to grow crops in poor soil, rather than seeking increased yields through more irrigation, fertilizers and chemicals, or by bringing new lands into cultivation, would be the environmentally more responsible approach.
In addition to creating better foods and feeds, biotechnology helps fiber producers and manufacturers, too. For example, cotton varieties are being developed that will produce sturdier, wrinkle-resistant or fire-retardant fibers.
Biotechnology also can contribute to the development of new products that would be otherwise unavailable and products that could replace nonrenewable petroleum-based chemicals with renewable, agriculturally based specialty oils and chemicals for use by industry.
Every day, more and more seed varieties with potential direct benefits for consumers are being field tested in the United States under approvals from U.S. regulatory agencies. Some of the products of this research are already appearing on grocery shelves in the United States and in the European Union, such as cheeses, yogurts, and new cooking oils derived from soybeans. Products in development also include those with improved nutritional value. For example, a new rice variety developed in Switzerland under a Rockefeller Foundation grant provides vitamin A. Each year nearly 1 million child deaths and 14 million children with blindness and other eye problems have been linked to vitamin A deficiency. Another variety of rice will soon provide twice the iron as currently available rice varieties. Also in development are soybeans with enhanced nutrient content for use in animal feed and corn that contains phosphorus in a form more easily absorbed by livestock. This latter product could reduce the use of supplements while at the same time helping the environment by lowering the amount of phosphorous in animal waste.
Biotechnology developments also have tremendous benefit for developing countries where almost a billion people live in poverty and suffer from chronic hunger. Seventy percent of those people are poor farmers who face huge crop productivity losses owing to insects, drought, and low soil fertility. New varieties of grains, many of which provide a stable calorie source for developing country populations, are being developed that can grow on land that is currently unsuitable for cultivation. The fact is that land under cultivation worldwide simply is no longer sufficient to feed the growing global population. Biotechnology can improve agricultural production for subsistence farmers, driving rural economic development and increased food security. Using biotechnology to grow crops in poor soil, rather than seeking increased yields through more irrigation, fertilizers and chemicals, or by bringing new lands into cultivation, would be the environmentally more responsible approach.
In addition to creating better foods and feeds, biotechnology helps fiber producers and manufacturers, too. For example, cotton varieties are being developed that will produce sturdier, wrinkle-resistant or fire-retardant fibers.
Biotechnology also can contribute to the development of new products that would be otherwise unavailable and products that could replace nonrenewable petroleum-based chemicals with renewable, agriculturally based specialty oils and chemicals for use by industry.