1 billion hectares of biotech crops planted

This week agricultural biotechnology marked an important milestone: farmers around the world have planted more than 1 billion hectares of GM crops since they were introduced in 1996. This is a huge accomplishment (there are 2.47 acres in a hectare) and demonstrates that farmers globally are recognizing and taking advantage of the benefits made possible through high-yielding GM crops. Full story. 

Senior Vice President of World Wildlife Fund: “We need to use less to produce more…to restore the planet”

Dr. Jason Clay, Senior Vice President of the World Wildlife Fund, a leading environmental NGO, spoke at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference and stressed that we need to produce more food to keep up with the world’s growing population, projected to increase 33 percent - to more than 9 billion - in 40 years. In order to feed the world, he noted that food production will have to become “increasingly more efficient” and “we cannot abandon modern genetics and technology.” Full story.

Voice of America: New study finds the adoption of GM drought resistant corn could save the livelihoods of African farmers and earn them nearly $1 billion

Hundreds of millions of Africans rely on corn production for income and basic sustenance, but frequent droughts threaten the crop and the livelihood of millions of African farmers. A new study from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center finds that corn genetically modified to be drought-tolerant could result in “collective economic benefits of around $900 million for African farmers by 2016.” The study, conducted in cooperation with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, demonstrates the real need for drought resistant corn so farmers can continue to supply the crop even during drought conditions.  Full story.

An Italian farmer fights for GM crops

Italian farmer Giorgio Fidenato is determined to promote the benefits of biotech crops, going so far as to plant GM corn on his farm, despite Italy’s moratorium on genetically modified seeds that was enacted in March. “Our biggest goal is to show consumers that it is safe to eat,” he says, in an Associated Press article.

Rice enhancement in Asia could increase yields up to 50 percent

Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) report signs of progress in their efforts to enhance rice’s photosynthetic efficiency to boost yields. According to the IRIN News story, scientists believe that if the efforts are successful, global yields could rise by as much as 50 percent, avoiding potential rice shortages, or even future famines.

EC decision allows “politics to trump science”

A blog post that appeared in the Guardian states that the decision by the European Commission giving member states the power to ban genetically modified crops undermines the EC’s own scientific authorization system. They write that the EC “refused to back the overwhelming scientific evidence and has handed an own-goal to those who would ban GM crops without any research into their potential benefits, or indeed problems.”

State Deparment official Dr. Nina Fedoroff discusses the advantages of genetically modified crops

Fora.tv featured a lecture by Dr. Nina Fedoroff, Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State, titled “Genetically Modified Crops: Monsters or Miracles?” In the lecture Dr. Fedoroff discusses the role that GM foods can play in food security as the population rises to 9 billion. She also addresses the promise of Golden Rice, rice engineered to help the body produce Vitamin A so children do not die or go blind from Vitamin A deficiency, a common problem in the developing world.

Strong future possible in biofuel industry, reports McKinsey & Co.

Over the next ten years, the biofuels industry will experience growth, according to a report by McKinsey & Co. In the report, Sustainable Biofuels Growth: Hurdles and Outcomes, 60% of respondents surveyed say that bio-substitutes for gas will be the primary alternative to fossil fuels.

ISAAA shares the remarkable success of biotech cotton in India

In their July 2010 profile on India’s Bt cotton, Bt Cotton in India: A Country Profile, Bhagirath Choudhary and Kadambini Gaur of ISAAA report on the benefits of biotech cotton in India, as well  as its positive reception among farmers in India. According to the profile, the adoption rate and the number of farmers using Bt cotton hybrids in India in 2009 increased substantially for the eighth consecutive year.  

Better education on GM crops needed, according to Sierra Leonean scientist Monty Jones

In an interview with the Africa Report, Monty Jones, a scientist from Sierra Leone who received the 2004 World Food Prize for his success in creating the New Rice for Africa (NERICA), says that the freedom to choose what one eats should remain intact. He adds “I do not believe that you should see people dying of hunger for a problem that could be solved if you go through genetic engineering.”

“Second green revolution” necessary to eliminate world hunger

A second green revolution with a new focus in agricultural research will be needed to provide enough food for the world’s population in 2050, according to an editorial published by science journal Nature on July 28. In order to achieve a Green Revolution, we will need to invest in high-tech seeds and low-tech farming practices.  The editorial was part of Nature’s latest issue where the theme was food and agriculture.

Overregulation delays rice variety key to reducing blindness in children, Nature says

Steve Baragona of Voice of America radio reported on another editorial published in the science journal Nature, about the overregulation of biotech crops and how it has slowed down the release of a variety of rice that could help truncate the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. At least 250,000 children become blind every year as a result of vitamin A deficiency, according to the World Health Organization. To tackle this problem, researchers used genes involved in producing beta carotene, a vitamin A precursor, from other plant species and inserted them into the rice, named Golden Rice for its yellow-orange color.  Listen to the coverage. Read the original editorial.

Biotech crop benefits women’s employment in India

The production of a biotech crop in India yielded substantial benefits in the wages and employment opportunities of rural women, according to a study conducted by the UK’s University of Warwick and Germany’s University of Goettinghen. The crop, biotech cotton, brought about higher income for rural workers as well as more employment, particularly hired female labor.

EU approves six varieties of maize for import

Reuters reports that the European Commission on Wednesday approved six genetically modified (GM) maize varieties for import to the EU member countries. This demonstrates its desire to speed up European Union decisions on the technology.

The decision opens the way for fresh imports of the approved GM maize varieties from countries such as the United States, Brazil and Argentina.

Ask the Expert: Fun Facts on Ag Biotech from Dr. C.S. Prakash

Soy Connection recently interviewed Dr. C.S. Prakash of Tuskegee University, who is widely known as one of the world’s foremost experts in the benefits and safety of agricultural biotechnology. He provided some interesting facts about biotech including:

• Biotech crops are grown in 25 countries on 2 billion acres worldwide.
• More than 85 percent of U.S. acreage is planted with biotech varieties. Yields have increased 36 percent since 1995, the last year before biotech varieties were commercially planted.
• Biotech crops are grown by more than 12 million poor farmers in developing countries such as India, China, South Africa, Argentina and the Philippines. This helps sustainable development by providing US$44 billion in additional income (1996-2007), 44 percent due to yield gains and 56 percent due to reduced production costs.

You can learn more from Dr. Prakash by checking out CBI’s YouTube Channel to hear what he had to say about biotech and sustainability at this year’s BIO Conference.

Biofuels could actually improve food security, report says

Planting biofuel crops in Africa will not damage the capacity to grow food and could even enhance food security, according to a review prepared for the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and reported on by SciDevNet.

“If approached with the proper policies and processes and with the inclusion of all the various stakeholders, bioenergy is not only compatible with food production but can greatly benefit agriculture in Africa,” said Rocio Diaz-Chavez, a researcher at Imperial College, London, and lead author of the report, titled “Mapping Food and Bioenergy in Africa.”

Climate warrior Stephen Schneider is dead at 65

Stephen H. Schneider, Ph.D., passed away on Monday, July 19.  He was an influential Stanford University climate scientist and wrote many books on the effects of climate change. He advised every Administration on climate policy since the 1970s and was passionate about educating the public about climate issues.

Dr. Stephen Schneider interviewed with CBI at the 2009 AAAS Meeting

We met Dr. Schneider at the 2009 AAAS Conference and filmed a video interview with him. In the interview Dr. Schneider shared that he believed agricultural biotechnology is an important part of the solution to helping farmers reduce their carbon emissions and combat the effects of climate change. View the video interview with Dr. Schneider. 

The New York Times obituary for Dr. Stephen Schneider.

Huffington Post contributor: need science and technology in agriculture to feed the world’s hungry

Spurred by advocacy groups protesting the arrival of hybrid seeds in Haiti, Jon Entine, author of Crop Chemophobia, posted a blog on Huffington Post where he criticized the tendency of many to ignore proven science and innovation in favor of idealistic and outdated agricultural practices.

He writes that the most “socially attuned aid groups, including the widely respected Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…have embraced science and technology as the key to boosting productivity.”  He adds biotechnology is the key to boosting productivity and helping small farmers in countries like Haiti in the developing world.

Agricultural biotechnology enhances the food we eat

 The blog “Eat Healthier Foods” posted an article about how biotechnology helps our food become healthier by using genes to improve the quality and quantity of the crop. The blog provides a few examples of how agricultural biotechnology has enhanced the food we eat, such as:

• Cotton, corn, potato, soybeans and canola plants that are tolerant of herbicides or protected from insects.
• Tomatoes that ripen slower, remain fresh longer, have a better flavor and survive transport better.
• Crops that are able to grow in harsh environmental conditions, such as drought or extreme heat.

CropLife America hosts National Policy Conference focusing on future of agriculture and agricultural policy

This week we attended CropLife America’s National Policy Conference, entitled Modern Agriculture: Exploring its Relationship with Technology, Science & Society. Moderated by Marc Gunther, FORTUNE editor and Greenbiz.com senior writer, the event brought together a diverse crowd of experts who weren’t afraid to share their thoughts on the future of modern agriculture.

During the session entitled “Modern Agriculture: What is it? What Stands in the Way,” the panelists agreed that one of the biggest obstacles to acceptance of modern agriculture practices is the way that scientific information is- and isn’t- communicated.

During his keynote speech, Michael Specter, author of Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives, encouraged farmers and others in the agriculture industry to face the critics head-on and to make sure their story gets told, especially in the media.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark) spoke at the CropLife America National Policy Conference

Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), ranking Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, spoke with CropLife America President and CEO Jay Vroom about the challenges and opportunities of modern agriculture. Both Sen. Lincoln and Rep. Goodlatte are strong supporters of agricultural biotechnology and science-based agriculture and understand the importance that agriculture plays in our society and economy.

AgChat Foundation continues to grow

The AgChat Foundation, born out of the highly visible “#AgChat” community on Twitter, aims to empower farmers and ranchers to connect communities through social media platforms. Learn about the AgChat Foundation and what it is doing to help farmers and ranchers engage on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and other social media services to tell their stories through its interactive website: http://agchat.org/.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee

Court decisions curbing sale of genetically modified foods counter ’science-based regulatory decisions’

Court decisions setting back the sale of genetically modified foods do not comply with sound science, according to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.). The Hill reports that the senators sent a letter to USDA Sec.Tom Vilsack last month, arguing that such court decisions may “thrust the U.S. regulatory system for agriculture biotechnology into a non-functioning regulatory system.”

 New EU policy gives European governments the freedom to grow biotech crops 

The New York Times reports that the European Commission will announce on Tuesday its decision to give national and local governments sovereignty in deciding whether or not to grow biotech crops. The new policy seeks to overcome an impasse that has led to restrictions on the market for biotech seeds in Europe for years.

Researchers on brink of better rice

An international consortium seeking to re-engineer rice to increase yields is about to enter the second phase of its decades-long project. According to SciDevNet, the project-run by the UK-based University of Sheffield-seeks to genetically modify rice in order to use a more effective method of photosynthesis. The researchers hope to enable the crop to produce 50% more grain, and require less water and fertilizer.

Reclaiming cropland with saline-tolerant crops

Last week, Ceres, a biotechnology company in Thousand Oaks, CA, announced that it had developed a trait that allows several common crops to grow under highly saline conditions, even in seawater. According to MIT Technology Review, this may help put back to use the 15 million acres of cropland in the United States, once thought too salty to support plant life.

Purdue University Researcher finds that introducing a yeast gene extends the shelf life of tomatoes

Avtar Handa, a professor of horticulture at Purdue University, found that adding a yeast gene to tomatoes increases production of a compound that slows aging and decay. Fully ripe tomatoes from the transgenic tomato plants studied lasted about eight days longer before showing signs of shriveling compared with the non-transgenic plants. This finding can have broad implications and help people have access to fresh fruits even without controlled environment storage. Learn more

Hawaii Crop Improvement Association’s annual meeting

The annual meeting of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association (a CBI partner) brought together “more than 150 members, allies and stakeholders of Hawaii’s agriculture industry.” In addition to policymakers and local reporters, this year’s meeting featured Douglas Jones, Executive Director of Growers for Biotechnology, who gave the keynote address on Food, Fiber and Fuel for the Future: Embracing Biotechnology.

Loren Mochida of the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association also gave a speech at the meeting on the evolution of Hawaii’s Rainbow papaya (a biotech variety) and its potential to be imported into Japan. Read more and view photos from the annual meeting. 

Many thanks to our friends Karl Haro von Mogel and Frank N. Foode (everyone’s favorite biotech buddy) of Biofortified fame for posting some great photos from our time at BIO 2010 in Chicago. We especially love and appreciate the photos featuring the CBI panel and CBI experts/panelists.  View the photos.

CBI Managing Director Ariel Gruswitz poses with Frank N. Foode

Frank N. Foode makes friends (and a photo album) at BIO 2010

Thanks again to Karl and our favorite biotech buddy, Frank N. Foode!