Editorial: Biotechnology for agricultural sustainability

The role of biotechnology for agricultural sustainability in Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa could have a shortfall of nearly 90Mt of cereals by the year 2025 if current agricultural practices are maintained. Biotechnology is one of the ways to improve agricultural production. Insect-resistant varieties of maize and cotton suitable for the subcontinent have been identified as already having a significant impact. Virus-resistant crops are under development. These incl...

Governing conflicts over sustainability: agricultural biotechnology in Europe

Sustainability and Biotechnology

Granted, biofuels and biobased bulk chemicals are low hanging fruits (technically speaking), but the economic and ecological impact of biotechnology is estimated to be more effective with higher-value and more complex molecules. The “buzzword” biotechnology has led to different priorities, often without considering long-term socio-economic costs. Even so, biotechnology holds some very promising...

Editorial overview: Food biotechnology.

Recent and ongoing developments in the area of food biotechnology could help us meet at least some of these challenges: Among many other topics, current efforts include the development of plants having an enhanced nutritional value or the design and construction of microbial strains for the environmental-friendly production of food and feed additives, such as flavors, colorants, amino acids and...

Agricultural sustainability

Agriculture began in the eastern Mediterranean Levantine Corridor about 11 000 years ago toward the end of the Younger Dryas when aridity had diminished wild food resources. During the subsequent Climatic Optimum, agricultural villages spread rapidly but subsequent climatic changes on centennial to millennial scales resulted in striking 5 oscillations in settlement, especially in marginal areas...