Biotechnology

Needs Address

• Food security
• Stabilised and/or increased productivity
• Crop improvement/optimisation of crop structure

Adaptation effects

• Increases the resilience of crops by targeting the specific stressor they are exposed to and genetically modifying the crop to tolerate such stressors
• Increases food security by enhancing production through increased and more reliable yields 
• Reduces water stress due to reduced need for fresh water supply
• Genetically modifying crops in order to increase their resistance to climatic effects such as drought, pests and other stressors. Genes from tolerant crop types are utilised – particularly from wild crops often found to be resilient to salinity and heat stress.Could enable less fertile and marginal land to be farmed

Overview and Features

Genetically modifying crops in order to increase their resistance to climatic effects such as drought, pests and other stressors. Genes from tolerant crop types are utilised – particularly from wild crops often found to be resilient to salinity and heat stress.

Cost

• Cost of research
• Cost of genetic modification
• Costs vary from country to country depending on market availability and competition. They are higher than non-biotechnology seed prices but may be costs effective due to enhanced yields

Energy source

Energy for biotechnical alteration

Ease of maintenance

• Requires ongoing research for improvement of technology and reduced crops
• Requires adaptation to new and altering climate stressors
• Control of this technology must be equitable, rather than residing wholly in the hands of seed companies

Technology performance

• Enables traditional crops to continue to be grown, rather than adoption of new crop types, which communities can sometimes be resistant to
• Increased pest control and drought tolerance have been enabled, particularly in soy, maize and cotton
• E.g. genetic transformation of rice seeds has enhanced photosynthesis and reduced transpiration to improve water use efficiency

Considerations

• Requires an advanced understanding of crop genetics and tolerance of stressors alongside an understanding of the stressors impacting crop production
• Crops must be modified according to the stressors in the place of their production, therefore specific social preference for crop types must be understood to ensure appropriate crops are equipped with the tolerance for the area in which they are being grown
• Long-term impacts and safety of cultivating genetically modified crops must be considered
• The impact in ecological systems and traditional seed markets must be considered
• Requires collaboration between multiple stakeholder groups including researchers, developers, seed companies, users (i.e. farmers)
• Intricate understanding of both climate and plant genetics is necessary to deal with the challenge of increasing unpredictability in climate change
• Seed companies must ensure they give farmers an accurate understanding of the benefits these new and more expensive seeds are likely to provide

Co-benefit, suitability for developing countries

• Significantly increases seed prices, making them more difficult to access for poorer farmers – advancements in the technology in future may decrease costs
• Due to increased recognition of the negative impacts of rising drought, flood, pest and salinity levels, farmers are more likely to be keen to adopt this new technology
• Government and other institutional support and subsidy can enhance access for the most poor

Information Resources

Clements, R., Haggar, J., Quezada, A. and Torres, J. 2011. Technologies for Climate Change Adaptation – Agriculture Sector. X. Zhu (Ed.). UNEP Risø Centre, Roskilde, Available from: http://tech-action.org/ [20 January 2015]

CimateTechWiki, n.d. Biotechnology for Climate Change Adaptation of Crops. Webpage Available from: http://www.climatetechwiki.org/content/biotechnology-climate-change-adaptation-crops [20 January 2015]

Pray, C et al. 2011. Potential Impact of Biotechnology on Adaption of Agriculture to Climate Change: The Case of Drought Tolerant Rice Breeding in Asia. Sustainability 3(10), 1723-1741. Available from: http://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/3/10/1723 [20 January 2015]