ABSTRACT
Today we face many critical issues in agriculture: (a) an exponentially growing human population; (b) recurrent famine; (c) the destruction of natural landscapes such as tropical rain forests to extend agriculture to previously unused lands; (d) the exodus of human civilization from rural communities to cities; (e) the destruction of environmental quality resulting from exposure to agrochemicals, erosion of soils and salinization of soils as well as exhaustion and contamination of fresh water resources; (f) the loss of biodiversity through monocropping and the destruction of natural habitats; (g) the reliance of agricultural production, transport, and storage systems on fossil fuel; (h) the acquisition and concentration of agricultural wealth by multinational corporations; and (i) an issuant lack of knowledge by a growing proportion of human civilization on how to cultivate, prepare, and preserve food. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that agricultural productivity in the world will be able to sustain the growing human population by 2030 but hundreds of millions of people in developing countries will remain hungry and environmental problems caused by agriculture will remain serious (FAO 2002). By 2025,83% of the expected global population of 8.5.2 billion will be in the developing world (United Nations 2002). The social consequences are obvious. Food is a basic human need and right. How can we sustain the food needs of the earth’s biotic community in the 21st century and beyond while preserving environmental quality and the diversity and quality of life on earth (Time, August 26, 2002)? What solutions can biotechnology provide to address these problems (Khush and Bar 2001)?
