ISAAA Report Finds 100-Fold Increase in Global Biotech Crop Plantings Since 1996

• The 2012 ISAAA report adds increasing evidence that agricultural biotechnology is a key component in sustainable crop production. Biotechnology provides solutions for today’s farmers in the form of plants that yield more per acre, resist diseases and insect pests, and reduce farmers’ production costs, pesticide applications and on-farm fuel use.
• More and more farmers around the world (17.3 million) are turning to biotechnology so they can grow plants that yield more per acre and reduce production costs while being resistant to disease and insect pests.
• When you look at the rising number of acres of biotech crops planted each year, and the increasing number of farmers who have chosen this technology, it can’t be denied that biotech crops are delivering value to more and more growers around the world.
• The United States continued to be the lead producer of biotech crops with more than 172 million acres of biotech crops planted in 2012, with an average adoption rate of about 90 percent across all biotech crops. The primary biotech crops grown in the United States are corn, cotton, soybeans, and sugarbeets, and others include canola, squash, papaya, and alfalfa.
• The productivity gains from biotechnology are enabling us to better feed a global population at a time when food insecurity is becoming a global concern. Agricultural biotechnology is able to deliver more abundant crops that produce more food, often in areas with less-than-perfect growing conditions.  
• Ag biotechnology also has environmental benefits because biotech crop varieties require less cultivation and fewer pesticide applications, thereby saving fuel and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the air. This also improves soil health and water retention.  
• Embracing innovation and modern science can help us solve the world’s most pressing problems. People who really want to combat hunger, to keep food costs affordable, to protect the environment and to mitigate climate change are adopting agricultural biotechnology and embracing the solutions that it provides.
• As food insecurity becomes an increasing global concern, the productivity gains from biotechnology are enabling society to better feed a global population using less land, water and a reduced carbon footprint.
• During the past two decades, we have seen how biotechnology can improve crop production through insect resistance and herbicide tolerant traits. But in the development pipeline are crops that thrive in drought-prone areas, can improve the nutrition content of foods and can produce alternative energy sources. 
• The continued adoption of the technology in developed and developing countries is testament to the importance of the technology to farmers and food and fuel production around the world. It is also an indication that governments and societies recognize what investment in the technology can mean to their countries’ and the world’s ability to combat hunger with reduced environmental impact.   
• The findings of this report prove that the United States and countries around the world are turning to science and technology to meet today’s challenges in agriculture, and food and energy production.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) report, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2012 and accompanying materials are posted at www.isaaa.org.