In the simplest of terms, biotechnology is 'technology based on biology.'

Biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to create technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet.

Contemporary biotechnology provides novel products and technologies to combat and prevent debilitating and rare diseases, reduce the effect of climate change, tackle world hunger, use cleaner renewable energy sources, and have more efficient industrial procedures.

According to BIO, there are more than 250 biotechnology health care products and vaccines available to patients, that combat previously untreatable diseases. More than 13.3 million farmers around the world use agricultural biotechnology to increase yields and prevent damage from insects and pests. And more than 50 biorefineries are being built across North America to test and refine technologies to produce biofuels and chemicals from renewable biomass, which can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Recent advances in biotechnology are helping us prepare for and meet our society's most pressing challenges.

Source: https://www.bio.org/what-biotechnology

Ishika De - 12.17.2021

With the radical increase in the global population, the demand for food is constantly on the rise. This, in combination with expanding poverty, and the effects of the current pandemic, has led to world hunger increasing at a drastic rate.

The UN World Food Programme's live Hunger Map estimates 957 million people across 93 countries who do not have enough to eat. The Global Humanitarian Outlook calculates 239 million people in need of life-saving humanitarian protection this year. If things continue at this rate, the number of people affected might exceed 840 million by 2030. The situation is looking grim, and without suitable measures taken, it will likely worsen.

One of the factors driving global hunger is climate change. Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of weather events are increasing. Some regions of the world are getting wetter, while others are becoming drier. Agriculture is an industry that is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Crops and livestock are susceptible to changes in temperature and rainfall. A delayed spring frost can be disastrous, while a heatwave can result in sharply reduced yields. Fundamentally, agriculture is a 'Goldilocks' industry. The weather should not be too warm or too chilly, and rainfall must be just right. As food production depends heavily on the climate, it will be impossible to control hunger without preparing for and adapting to climate change.

Climate change renders the current knowledge we have about farming less valuable. What worked before may no longer fit in a changing climate. Thus arises the need to develop new sustainable technologies in this sector. We can look at the problem from two perspectives. Firstly we have the climatic part of it. Taking measures to reverse the effects of climate change, and the development of better weather-forecasting technologies would definitely have a positive impact. Secondly, there is the biological segment, which is where my interests lie.

With the weather patterns constantly changing, the need for the development of sustainable agriculture is all the more. Crops must be resistant to extreme conditions. The genetic improvement of crops is mainly required to adapt our existing food crops to increasing temperatures and decreased or increased water availability. The new generation of crops must also be able to withstand rising soil salinity, and attacks by pathogens and insects.

A genetically modified species is built using recombinant DNA technology. The genetic material of different species is combined and then put into a host organism. Either to express a gene that doesn’t belong to the crop, or to modify endogenous genes. This technology can be employed to make crops drought-resistant, increase their resistance to extreme climatic conditions and towards insects and pathogens. New genetic combinations also add value to various other sectors, including the pharmaceutical and food sectors. The development of this technology requires major investments on the part of global leaders around the world.

Countries have started to recognize the global climate emergency and its effect on World Hunger as a humanitarian issue. It is an issue that requires the nations to work together to recognize and implement solutions. I sincerely hope that one day, we all get to see a food-secure future.

Source: https://www.embracerelief.org/world-hunger-facts-world-food-shortage-2021/

Ishika De - 12/21/2021