Innovative tools for sustainable agriculture in developing countries: The impact of open source biotechnology

Sustainable agriculture is widely acknowledged as a fundamental component of any strategy to fight poverty and food insecurity in developing countries. Agricultural practices – the source of livelihood for more than 86 per cent of poor people living in developing countries (World Bank, 2005) – can only be sustained if the right facilities and measures are put in place. As a research tool, agricultural biotechnology has potentials to contribute to sustainable agriculture. Recent reports have shown that such biotechnology (especially biotech crops) made significant impacts in terms of increase in yields and income and improving the quality of life in developing countries (James, 2009). Drought-tolerant, herbicidetolerant and insect/pest-resistant crop varieties have been developed using agricultural biotechnology. However, sustainable agricultural development is still far from being accomplished in developing countries due to a variety of problems, particularly the introduction and diffusion of new technologies.

Related Subject(s): Environment and Climate Change