Global Status of Genetically Modified Crops: Current Trends and Prospects

Abstract

Modern biotechnology-facilitated crop improvement is undoubtedly one of the most significant technological developments in agriculture. The first wave of genetically-modified (GM) or transgenic crops include cultivars with important input traits such as herbicide tolerance and insect resistance. Future products are expected to provide benefits that could include tolerance to environmental stresses and enhanced nutritional content, which can be particularly valuable in crops that are important to many developing countries, where the challenges of sustainable food production are more critical. Rates of adoption of GM crops are unprecedented and are among the highest for any new technologies by agricultural industry standards. The global area of GM crops expanded by around thirty-fold from 1996 to 2001 and the number of countries growing these crops has more than doubled. The unprecedented growth in adoption of GM crops worldwide speaks well of the multiple benefits that they provide to growers, and the growing confidence and acceptance of the technology by large and small farmers in both industrial and developing countries. Equitable access to the technology, and an open and broader exchange of information, knowledge and experience on biotechnology will help provide the opportunity to link the needs of societies, particularly in developing countries, with an increasing array of crop biotechnology applications and related innovations that could help achieve food security.