Sustaining Agriculture
 |
| Stephen Howell |
Sustainable agriculture and agriculture biotechnology seldom are portrayed as allies. But they should be, because biotechnology can be an important asset to sustainable agriculture, which seeks to promote environmental health, economic profitability and social and economic equity.
Herbicide-resistant soybeans already have contributed to the health of the environment by encouraging farmers to adopt low- or no-till farming practices. Insect-resistant plants developed through biotechnology have helped lighten the environmental load of pesticides, particularly in pesticide-intensive crops like cotton.
On the horizon are new biotech-developed agronomic traits that may confer drought resistance and more efficient water use. The development of crops that conserve water will be important to maintain aquifers and reduce consumption of water by agriculture, the largest water-using industry in the United States. Drought-resistant plants will offer farmers greater security from losses caused by occasional droughts.
Biotechnology also is taking aim at fertilizer usage. Researchers are developing crops that utilize nitrogen more efficiently and may require less fertilizer.
As for social and economic equity, some blame biotechnology for being in bed with corporate America. It is true that huge capital investments are required to introduce new transgenic crops. The regulatory environment is so strict it may cost $80 million or more to launch a single transgenic variety. Yet new biotech crops require fewer farming inputs and can translate into higher profits for small or large farmers.
Isn't it time for the sustainable agriculture and agriculture biotechnology communities to join forces and see the virtue in each other's ways?
