‘GREEN’ AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

‘Green’, cleverly, categorizes the agricultural biotechnology fields and sectors. Agricultural biotech can be used in a variety of different ways including creating new pesticides, gaining more product, so a greater yield, increasing nutritional values, and generally helping to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the agricultural industry.

Agricultural biotech is also very heavily used. In 2012, according to the NASS (National Agricultural Statistics Service), in the USA, 88% of the corn planted was using biotech, and 94% of all cotton planted was using biotech. In terms of downsides and safety measures that agricultural biotech has, there are a few that the famers and biotech engineers need to be wary of. For example, there needs to be consideration taken when implementing the biotech into the plants so that it does not harm existing wildlife.

Birds, insects and many other creatures rely on plants to survive, and messing with, or adapting, their biological structure may be harmful towards these animals, including of course ourselves, with new biotechnology, new allergies could become apparent.