Biotech solves for food insecurity and warming

Agricultural biotechnology in ensuring global food security New plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) constitute a toolkit of agricultural biotechnology, which are used in the food and agriculture sectors for genetic improvement of plant varieties and animal populations, characterization and conservation of genetic resources, diagnosis of plant and animal diseases, and other purposes. They offer various science-driven approaches to mitigate global food insecurity and the impacts of climate change, both of which are accelerating at an alarming pace. It was estimated nearly a decade ago that global food production must be doubled by 2050 if the needs of the continuously growing human population are to be met. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical instability have seriously threatened food security worldwide. Farmers can adopt an integrated set of tools, such as biotech crops that are climate-resilient and can better withstand various stresses, including drought, heat, and flooding. To date, 44 countries have granted regulatory approvals to 385 genetic modification events (either stacked or singular traits) for use in food (direct use or additive), covering 24 plant species. The most widely modified plants are maize, cotton, potato, soybean, and Argentine canola. The most widely targeted traits are herbicide tolerance and insect resistance, followed by modified product quality, pollination control system, disease resistance, abiotic stress tolerance, altered growth/yield, and nematode resistance.

Genetically edited crops have the potential to lower both pesticide use and soil damage and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Brookes and Barfoot reported that through the adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops in agriculture, a significant reduction in the total amount of herbicides and pesticides used has been achieved between 1996 and 2018. As a consequence, the environmental impact of these chemicals decreased the Environmental Impact Quotient by 18.5%. Moreover, a considerable reduction in fuel use and tillage practices resulted in a significant reduction in the release of GHG from the GM crop area. In addition, researchers are focusing on designing many traits for conserving water and land, while increasing yields.

One of the important objectives of plant research is to increase crop productivity without expanding farm footprint. Without the use of biotech crops, to maintain the global production at 2016 levels, planting an additional 22.4 million hectares (Mha) of soybean, maize, cotton, and canola would have been necessary, most probably at the expense of rainforests, leading to intensification of CO2 emission and further contributing to climate change. GM crops have a great potential and, indeed, are likely to make critical contributions to food security and adaptation to climate change, but these potential benefits will be hampered, delayed, and diminished in the absence of a regulatory framework including statutory requirements based on product risks and allowing for predictable ways to market stage. The potential applications of agricultural biotechnology are presented in Figure 1. The results of the analysis presenting strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of new plant breeding techniques are presented in Table 1. As seen from the analysis, the strengths outweigh the weaknesses and opportunities surpass threats. Modern biotechnology represents unique applications of science that can be used for the benefit of society. Nevertheless, the use of transgenic organisms should always proceed with caution to ensure that they pose no environmental or health risks, or at least no more than the use of current crops and practices. To adopt genome-editing technologies, support is needed from governments in setting up an updated regulatory framework, which has to be designed after discussion with different stakeholders and society. Recently, much attention has been paid to new genomic techniques (NGTs) in the European discussion. According to the EU Farm to Fork Strategy, ‘new innovative techniques, including biotechnology and the development of bio-based products, may play a role in increasing sustainability, provided they are safe for consumers and the environment while bringing benefits for society as a whole’. On 29 April 2021, the EC presented a study on the status of NGTs under EU law. According to the study, NGT products can potentially contribute to sustainable agri-food systems in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork Strategy. Moreover, the EC introduced public consultation for the initiative related to the legislation of plants produced by certain new genomic techniques. Individual answers have been published on the EC websitexxxiii; however, no complete report has been published yet. The EC has not yet provided an interpretative opinion of which organisms developed via new genomic techniques fall under the EU definition of GMO. The full potential of genome editing cannot be realized if we proceed with a regulatory framework which leads to an effective ban on the technology. Importantly, in other parts of the world, the products of new genomic techniques are cultivated, produced, and consumed. Africa, for example, is currently the region with the greatest potential in adopting GM crops, with Nigeria emerging as a leader; of late, positive attitudes towards GMOs are also being shaped in Kenya. Latin American countries, together with the US and Canada, lead the cultivation and production of GM crops. Alongside the North American countries, several Latin American countries, as well as the Philippines, China, Japan, Australia, and China, among others, have already established criteria to determine the regulatory statutes of NPBTs.