PG Economics provides advisory and consultancy services across the agriculture sector. They specialize in plant biotechnology and new breeding techniques, as well as agriculture production systems, markets, and policy. PG Economics published a study that looks at the global socio-economic and environmental impact of genetically modified crops over the last 20 years. The report looks at the farm level economics, production impacts, and the environmental implications of changes in chemical use and greenhouse gas emissions.
The entire report is found here.
Here are a few of the key findings that were most interesting and most impactful.
Farmers who planted genetically modified (GM) crops increased their incomes by almost $19 billion in 2018 and reduced carbon emissions by 23 billion kilograms or the equivalent of removing 15.3 million cars from the roads that year.
Crop biotechnology has reduced agriculture’s environmental impact
- Crop biotechnology has significantly reduced agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions by helping farmers adopt more sustainable practices such as reduced tillage, which decreases the burning of fossil fuels and retains more carbon in the soil. Had GM crops not been grown in 2018, for example, an additional 23 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide would have been emitted into the atmosphere, which is the equivalent of adding 15.3 million cars to the roads.
- From 1996 to 2018, crop biotechnology reduced the application of crop protection products by 776 million kilograms, a global reduction of 8.6%. This is equal to more than 1.6 times China’s total crop protection product use each year. As a result, farmers who grow GM crops have reduced the environmental impact associated with their crop protection practices by 19%
Crop biotechnology delivers an excellent return on investment for the farmers using the technology
- In 2018, farmers in developing countries received $4.42 as extra income for each extra dollar invested in GM crop seeds, whereas farmers in developed countries received $3.24 as extra income for each extra dollar invested in GM crop seeds.
- The net farm level economic benefit was just under $19 billion in 2018, equal to an average increase in income of $103/hectare. From 1996 to 2018, the net global farm income benefit was $225 billion, equal to an average increase in income of $96.7/hectare.
Crop biotechnology has contributed to global food security and reduced pressure to use new land in agriculture
- GM crop technology has improved yields through improved control of pests and weeds. For example, insect resistant (IR) crop technology used in cotton and corn has, between 1996 to 2018, across all users of this technology, increased yields by an average of 16.5% for IR corn and 13.7% for IR cotton relative to conventional production systems. Farmers who grow IR soybeans commercially in South America have seen an average 9.4% increase in yields since 2013.
- Over 23 years of widespread use, crop biotechnology has been responsible for the additional global production of 278 million tons of soybeans, 498 million tons of corn, 32.6 million tons of cotton lint and 14 million tons of canola.
- GM crops allow farmers to grow more without needing to use additional land. For example, if crop biotechnology had not been available to farmers in 2018, maintaining global production levels that year would have required the planting of an additional 12.3 million hectares (ha) of soybeans, 8.1 million ha of corn, 3.1 million ha of cotton and 0.7 million ha of canola. This is equivalent to needing an additional 14% of the arable land in the United States, or roughly 38% of the arable land in Brazil or 16% of the cropping area in China.
