Third Party Studies
Executive Summary - Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2010
In just 15 years after commercialization, accumulated biotech crops exceeded 1 billion hectares in 2010, a milestone that signifies biotech crops are here to stay, according to Clive James author of the annual report released by ISAAA. View full report »
Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century
The report recommends innovative policies and new farming approaches based on a strong scientific foundation to tackle the challenge of increasing food production while also meeting environmental, economic and social goals. View full report »
An Analysis of “Failure to Yield” by Doug Gurian-Sherman, Union of Concerned Scientists
Dr. Parrott analyzes a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists on biotech yields and finds it distorts the situation and in fact, GM crops have made substantial contributions to sustainability and improved agricultural efficiency. View full report »
India's genetic engineering approval committee disapproves of the use of the gus gene in transgenic food crops
The report reviews the decision by the Indian regulatory authority to stall the commercial release of transgenic crops containing the reporter gene GUS because of environmental implications, though scientists have concluded it safe. This decision will impact many crops, including those developed for drought and salt tolerance. View full report »
A decade of EU-funded GMO research (2001-2010)
This study from the European Commission examines the impacts of GMOs and finds that biotechnology, and in particular GMOs, pose no greater health and environmental risks than conventionally bred crops. The report presents the results of 50 projects, involving more than 400 research groups and representing European Union research grants of 200M Euros. The commission determines that “biotechnology is not a purely academic exercise: its findings and developments will lead to applications and products essential to society.” View full report »
Moratorium on Bt Brinjal
Scientist C. Kameswara Rao reviews the document released by the Minister of Environment and Forests of the Government of India that declares a moratorium on the commercial release of Bt brinjal (eggplant) in India. Through a scientific review process Dr. Rao points out the bias and lack of scientific reason in the moratorium document, and then provides real evidence that supports the safety and efficacy of Bt brinjal. View full report »
Solving Africa's Weed Problem: Increasing Crop Production & Improving the Lives of Women
Food production in Africa needs to increase to keep up with the growing population. One key constraint to increasing crop production and improving farmer’s lives is poor weed control. Current weed control methods in Africa are inadequate leading to low crop production and lives of drudgery for farmers. This report provides an overview of the problem of weeds and the inadequacy of current methods of weed control in Africa. View full report »
Learning from the past: successes and failures with agricultural biotechnologies in developing countries over the last 20 years
Participants in the UNFAO Biotechnology Forum shared their thoughts on the use of agricultural biotechnologies in developing nations in a moderated e-mail conference from June 8 –July 9, 2009. This report summarizes the major issues discussed over the course of that month. Many participants provided case studies to show the effects of agricultural biotechnologies such as genetic modification in developing countries. View full report »
GMOs - what's in it for us?
Summary of a fact report on the use of genetically modified crops in agriculture and food production, prepared by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. View full report »
Global Impact of Biotech Crops: Income and Production Effects, 1996-2007
This article updates the assessment of the impact of commercialized agricultural biotechnology on global agriculture from an economic perspective. It examines specific global economic impacts on farm income, indirect (non-pecuniary) farm-level income effects and impacts on the production base of the four main crops—soybeans, corn, cotton, and canola. View full report »
Industrial biotechnology — More than green fuel in a dirty economy?
Until now, most efforts to solve the climate crisis have focused on how to reduce the carbon footprint of our current economic system. However, this approach will not alone lead us onto the right path as it is concerned with eliminating a problem rather than building a new economy. View full report »
World Economic and Social Survey 2009 - Promoting Development, Saving the Planet
If we do not bring to the climate crisis the same determination and sense of common cause with which we have addressed the economic crisis, not only will the climate catastrophe feared by the scientific community occur, but recovering from it will be an impossibility. View full report »
World Development Report 2010 - Development and Climate Change
The 2010 World Development Report calls for action on climate issues: if we act now, act together, and act differently, there are real opportunities to shape our climate future for an inclusive and sustainable globalization. View full report »
Conservation Tillage and Plant Biotechnology: How New Technologies Can Improve the Environment By Reducing the Need to Plow
An analysis of surveys conducted since the introduction of herbicide-tolerant crops strongly supports the conclusion that these crops developed through plant biotechnology are facilitating the continued expansion of conservation tillage, especially no-till. As more acres are converted to conservation tillage, and especially no-till, significant environmental benefits will be derived. View full report »
Field to Market: The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture
This is a first-of-its kind report on measuring agriculture sustainability. The Keystone Center convened a steering committee of people representing interests from growers, conservation organizations, and companies throughout the agriculture and food supply chain in September 2006 to determine if a further dialogue would be helpful in defining and motivating more sustainable production and supporting and encouraging implementation of more sustainable measures. View full report »
Labeling Genetically Modified (GM) Foods
Alan McHughen, Biotechnology Specialist and Geneticist, explains why we should not label GM foods. View full report »
Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops 2008
In this report, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) finds that agricultural biotechnology is being used by 13.3 million farmers in 25 countries, including 1.3 million farmers in three new countries that adopted biotechnology crops in 2008 — Burkina Faso, Egypt, and Bolivia. The United States remains the largest planter of biotech crops with 154.4 million acres planted in 2008. View full report »
New Horizons in Plant Sciences for Human Health and the Environment
The National Academies have released "New Horizons in Plant Sciences for Human Health and the Environment," a free booklet that explores the potential of the National Plant Genome Initiative – a federal multiagency project that coordinates research in plant sciences to understand and ultimately harness plants' properties to help meet agriculture, nutrition, energy, and human health needs. View full report »
Towards Standardization of Life-Cycle Metrics for Biofuels: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation and Net Energy Yield
Reducing reliance on imported petroleum, the potential for GHG mitigation, and the ability to produce biofuel feedstocks without negative environmental consequences are the primary justifications for expansion of biofuels. Ensuring that biofuel systems meet these expectations is crucial to maintaining public and political support for favorable government policies and incentives that foster continued growth of the biofuel industry. View full report »
Biofuels, Land Use Change and Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Some Unexplored Variables
Two mechanisms for land use change exist: "direct" land use change, in which the land use change occurs as part of a specific supply chain for a specific biofuel production facility, and "indirect" land use change, in which market forces act to produce land use change in land that is not part of a specific biofuel supply chain, including, for example, hypothetical land use change on another continent. View full report »
Do European Consumers Buy GM Foods?
Following a decade of argument in Europe, the 2004 introduction by the EU of mandatory labelling for GM foods, the widespread importation into European countries of GM-animal feed, and the rapid development of GM agriculture and products in many parts of the world, it was pertinent to inquire how European consumers respond when offered the opportunity of buying GM-products in the familiar environment of their normal food shops. View full report »
Food Biotechnology: Consumer perceptions of food biotechnology in Asia
Genetically modified foods will most likely become an increasing feature of the Asian diet in light of the region's growing demand for high volumes of quality food. The Asian Food Information Centre (AFIC) conducted this consumer research to provide insights on how consumers in Asia perceive the use of biotechnology to produce foods and how likely consumers are to accept the various benefits biotechnology derived foods may bring. View full report »
An Analysis of Transgenic Field Trials in the United States
This report is an evaluation of the current status of biotech field trials of regulated traits in the United States as of June 6th, 2007 in the context of their potential impact on the coexistence of different production systems and market sectors. View full report »
Biotech crops: evidence, outcomes and impacts 1996-2006
This brief is intended for use by a wide range of people with interests in agriculture and the environment. As a summary of the key findings relating to the impact of biotech crops (1996-2006), this brief focuses on yield effects, as detailed in the peer review scientific journal article "Global impact of biotech crops: socio-economic and environmental effects 1996-20061" by Graham Brookes and Peter Barfoot. View full report »
Emerging Technologies to Benefit Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
This study — requested by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — identifies 60 emerging innovations in science and technology that have the potential to improve agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. View full report »
Scientific and technical contribution to the development of an overall health strategy in the area of GMOs
The present study is intended to contribute to an open debate with a broad range of stakeholders on the potential health impact associated with the consumption of GMOs by providing up-to-date opinions of experts in this field. View full report »
Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops in the U.S.
U.S. farmers have adopted genetically engineered (GE) crops widely since their introduction in 1996, notwithstanding uncertainty about consumer acceptance and economic and environmental impacts. Soybeans and cotton genetically engineered with herbicide-tolerant traits have been the most widely and rapidly adopted GE crops in the U.S., followed by insect-resistant cotton and corn. This product summarizes the extent of adoption of herbicide-tolerant and insect–resistant crops since their introduction in 1996. View full report »
GM crops: global socio-economic and environmental impacts 1996-2006
This study presents the findings of research into the global socio-economic and environmental impact of GM crops in the eleven years since they were first commercially planted on a significant area. It focuses on the farm level economic effects, the environmental impact resulting from changes in the use of insecticides and herbicides, and the contribution towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. View full report »
Opposition to transgenic technologies: ideology, interests and collective action frames
Disaggregating the concept of the 'GMO' is a necessary condition for confronting misconceptions that constrain the use of biotechnology in addressing imperatives of development and escalating challenges from nature, especially in less-industrialized nations. View full report »
Is Organic Beef and Dairy Production a Responsible Use of Our Resources?
Unless agriculture is willing to proactively make its case for the use of high yield technology to feed the world those who favor resource conservation and efficiency run the risk of losing the battle for the hearts and minds of a large portion of the consuming public. To do so would result in less global food production per person, higher food costs, and a lower standard of living. View full report »
Position of the American Dietetic Association: Agricultural and Food Biotechnology
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that agricultural and food biotechnology techniques can enhance the quality, safety, nutritional value, and variety of foods available for human consumption and increase the efficiency of food production. View full report »
Biotechnology-Derived Crops Planted in 2004 - Impacts on US Agriculture
The intense debate over agricultural biotechnology and its applications focused mainly on hypothetical risks and questions related to value, safety, and impacts (agronomic, economic, and environmental) of biotechnology-derived crops. The last ten years have seen many of these questions put to rest. Biotechnology-derived crops have been proven to be economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and as safe as, if not safer, than their conventional counterparts. View full report »
Co-existence in North American Agriculture: Can GM crops be grown with conventional and organic crops?
The report examines the issue of co-existence of GM and non GM (including organic) crops, and finds that they can co-exist without significant economic or commercial problems. View full report »
Conservation tillage and plant biotechnology: How new technologies can improve the environment by reducing the need to plow
Herbicide-tolerant crops developed through biotechnology have provided farmers with an additional weed management tool. They have solved some weed control problems faced by conservation tillage farmers and simplified weed control. View full report »
The payoffs to transgenic field crops: An assessment of the evidence
The purpose of this study is to compile and characterize the farm-level evidence of the impacts of transgenic field crops available in the public domain and to determine if any general implications can be drawn from it. The studies show that, compared to their conventional counterparts, transgenic crops have consistently higher average profit and, for the most part, lower pesticide use. View full report »
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