Genetically Engineered Crops in Developing Countries

Genetically Engineered (GE) crops are produced through elegant and sophisticated tools of modern biotechnology. Specific chosen genes are introduced into the genomes of crop plants to impart resistance to targeted pests and pathogens or tolerance to herbicides and abiotic stresses or to enhance nutrient content.

Introduced in 1996 on 1.75 million hectares, GE crops were cultivated on 175 million hectares in 27 countries, including 19 developing countries, in 2013. The biosafety and environmental safety of GE crops were demonstrated by about 30 years of research and 18 years of cultivation experience. GE crops are not being projected as an exclusive solution to meet the future demands on food, but only as the most efficient of modern technologies to be used along with other technologies and cultivation practices. This book contains 13 reviews on the current global position on various scientific issues and interrelated societal and policy matters relevant to the development and deployment of GE crops in the developing countries. The chapters are designed to address policy makers, scientists, students, teachers, the general public and even the judiciary and the media, to convey factual position on the biosafety, environmental safety and socio-economic benefits of GE crops.