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Report: “Agricultural biotechnology offers significant improvements in soil, water and air quality

June 08, 2010

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Biotechnology is helping farmers produce more crops while reducing their environmental impact.

By C. Waggoner, Produce More Conserve More Staff

According to a new report from the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) and funded by the United Soybean Board (USB) — “Facilitating Conservation Farming Practices and Enhancing Environmental Sustainability with Agricultural Biotechnology”— biotechnology is helping farmers produce more crops while reducing their environmental impact.

From the press release:

“As crops emerge across the country, this is a great time to consider what it will take to feed the earth’s growing population while safeguarding our natural resources,” says Karen A. Scanlon, executive director of CTIC in West Lafayette, Ind. “What we found in developing this report is that agricultural biotechnology — by allowing growers to reduce tillage and reduce their use of crop protection products — offers significant improvements in soil, water and air quality. Biotech crops can help farmers meet the projected demand of 9 billion mouths to feed while also helping the world address issues like reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and improving water quality.”

The report details a number of important statistics about biotechnology and its impact on sustainable agriculture, some of which include:

• A 69 percent increase in no-till farming practices since herbicide-resistant crops were first introduced in 1996;
• A 47.4 million pound reduction in herbicide applications and 8.67 million pound reduction in pesticide applications on land where biotech crops were planted in 2007;
• A 70 percent increase in U.S. acreage containing no-tilled full-season soybeans between 1996 and 2008; and
• Increased carbon sequestration and lower fuel consumption as a result of employing reduced and no-till farming practices.

To read the full report, please click here.

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