Effects of Agricultural Biotechnology

What are the goals and potential benefits of agricultural biotechnology?

Scientists who use genetic engineering techniques for food production have the same goal as traditional breeders — making our food supply safer for consumers and the environment and less expensive to produce. Adding a new gene to a crop plant may benefit growers and consumers. This technique is being used to produce crops that are less vulnerable to insects, diseases and weeds. In the future, scientists hope to develop crops that can be used to create new materials or energy sources, provide more nutrients, treat diseases or serve as vaccines to prevent diseases.

Are there potential risks associated with agricultural biotechnology?

As technology advances, it is important that scientists and regulatory agencies assess the impacts of both new and existing technologies for farmworker and consumer safety and for any environmental effects on plants, animals and water systems. Some areas of risk-assessment considered with our present biotechnology crops include the potential for genes moving from genetically engineered crops into wild plants; pests eventually developing resistance to pest-resistant crops; introducing allergy-causing compounds or changing the nutritional composition in foods. These are the same types of concerns that should be evaluated with traditional methods of producing our food and fiber. Research conducted at land grant universities, like those that produced this brochure, is critical to this evaluation process.

What are the effects of agricultural biotechnology on the environment?

The environmental benefits of biotech crops vary by region and crop. They may include substantial reductions in traditional pesticide use and improved soil conservation practices. University scientists are comparing many of the short- and long-term impacts of biotechnology and alternative technologies. For example, they are studying how non-pest insects and plants are affected and the potential for pests to become resistant to various methods of control. Likewise, university scientists are examining the potential for pollen from biotech crops moving to other crops, and are trying to determine what impact, if any, such pollen transfer might have.

Public Involvement

Production of a safe and sufficient food supply, grown in an environmentally responsible fashion, is essential for humanity. Like any technology, agricultural biotechnology will have economic and social impacts in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Agricultural biotechnology is just one thread in the complex tapestry associated with modernization and other aspects of an increasingly interconnected world. As biotechnology continues to evolve, factual and open public discourse is vital in order to define the role it will play in society.