Biotechnology

The Office of Agricultural Policy (AGP) keeps markets open for U.S. biotechnology products. Biotechnology has a proven safety record and benefits farmers, consumers and the environment by producing more food per acre while conserving water and reducing the need for chemicals, pesticides, and tilling. Biotechnology can also enhance the nutritive value of staple foods to improve overall nutrition and health.

Agricultural biotechnology can boost food production in both the developed and the developing worlds and reduce vulnerability to pests, viruses, and drought. Agricultural biotechnology is an important tool in the world’s effort to combat food insecurity and malnutrition. The Department of State works with a host of other agencies and organizations to promote understanding of this promising technology.

The Benefits and Challenges of Biotechnology

Increasing Food Security

The world’s population is expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050. To meet that challenge, global food production must more than double and be environmentally sustainable. Biotechnology, as applied to agriculture, reduces insecticide use, protects biodiversity, reduces erosion, increases tolerance to droughts and floods, and improves nutrition. For example, the BioCassava Plus project focuses on decreasing malnutrition in Africa by increasing the vitamin content of cassava, a staple food in many African countries.

Increasing Understanding and Acceptance

As of 2019, genetically engineered crops were grown in 29 countries while 42 additional countries imported these crops. Of the countries that grow biotech crops, ten are in Latin America, six are in Africa, two in North America, two in Europe, and nine are in Asia, and International acceptance will continue to grow as science-based, risk-proportionate regulations are developed regarding the cultivation and trade of biotech crops and people experience the benefits. However, widespread misunderstanding persists about this technology, its safety, and the breadth of its potential. Foods derived through advanced agricultural technology undergo extensive risk assessment procedures by a variety of national bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration. Biotech crops also undergo analysis by international entities such as the European Food Safety Agency. Any biotech crops approved by these bodies have been designated as safe for both people and the environment.