Why Biotech?

Biotech crops, also called genetically modified organisms (GMOs), is a term commonly used to refer to crops whose genetic makeup has been altered to give the plant a desirable trait. These traits help reduce or eliminate the use of insecticides and biocides, prevent soil erosion by enabling reduced or no-till farming techniques, and increase food production by improving yields. Genetic engineering also lets scientists produce food that is healthier, more nutritious and better tasting.

Biotech crops are not new. The conventional crossbreeding technique farmers have used for thousands of years to develop new hybrid plants is a type of genetic engineering. The process improves the genes of plants to make them more useful for humans. Creating new plants through conventional crossbreeding involves the random exchange of thousands of genes. Developing a new plant using biotechnology is a similar process, but much more precise because it involves the addition of only a single or sometimes just a few genes at a time.

Biotechnology & Sustainable Agriculture

We can all support a technology that increases harvests, helps us meet our energy needs, and creates products able to grow in drought-stricken and other inhospitable areas. We all care about giving farmers better tools to improve productivity and raise their standard of living.

Plant biotechnology is already helping the world grow more and better food. It is also producing greater yields of crops used to produce biofuels to help meet our energy needs. In addition to insect and disease resistance traits, the next generation of biotech crops focuses on many diverse areas like drought-tolerance to help farmers cope with water shortages to better preserve and manage our water resources. This new technology holds even more promise for the future of sustainable agriculture. In 2007, more than 282 million acres in 23 countries were planted in biotech crops.

As an engine of economic growth in Hawaii, the United States and around the world, agriculture can help alleviate the poverty that still afflicts many people in undeveloped countries. And biotechnology can help agriculture do its job. This relatively new technology holds even more promise for a sustainable future as research and biotech applications in various agricultural areas continue.

Fueling the Future

We know that plant biotechnology is helping the world grow more and better food, but it is also producing greater yields of crops used to produce biofuels to help meet our energy needs. Industrial biotechnology is revolutionizing the way we can produce energy, chemicals, electricity, hydrogen, and other products. Biofuels offer a cleaner burning alternative to fossil fuels and can reduce harmful Greenhouse Gas emissions by to 20 percent.

Ethanol is a biofuel typically derived from corn or sugarcane. Its production has increased 300% in the US since 2000, and over 40% of the gasoline currently consumed in the country contains ethanol.

Biodiesel is a biofuel typically derived from soybeans and other oilseed crop options, and is most frequently used in farm equipment, large diesel trucks and city buses. Biodiesel sales have tripled since 2004 and are expected to exceed 200 million gallons over the next year.