Biotechnology is the application of scientific information and methods to biological problems such as in agriculture. It includes moving traits or characteristics from one organism to another, to improve or create new agricultural products. Through integrating knowledge about biology and genetic engineering, biotechnology has many diverse applications from making pharmaceutical drugs (such as the production of insulin since 1982) to producing ethanol from corn. Agricultural biotechnology allows us to more precisely develop plants, animals and micro-organisms with specific characteristics – such as a higher protein content or reduced incidence of E-coli.

Go to The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications to view a timeline of biotechnology.

• Is biotechnology a new scientific process? When do you think it first started?

Go to Biotech Research to review common questions about biotechnology.

• Do you think biotechnology should be used in agriculture?