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Basic scientific concepts of biotechnology: historical perspective and development of modern biotechnology Vibha Dhawan Vice Chancellor TERI School of Advanced Studies 6th February 2005 Food problems have haunted mankind since time immemorial • Expanding the cultivated area • Technological Breakthroughs By mid 1960s, hunger and malnutrition were widespread, especially in Asia • 1967: Report of the US President’s Science Advisory Committee concluded that the “scale, severity and duration of the world food problem are so great that a massive, long-range, innovative effort unprecedented in human history will be required to master it” • The Rockefeller and Ford Foundations took the lead in establishing an international agriculture research system to help, transfer and adapt scientific advances to the conditions in developing countries • The first investments were in rice and wheat • The breeding of improved varieties, combined with the expanded use of fertilizers, other chemical inputs and irrigation, led to dramatic yield increases in Asia and Latin America, beginning in the late 1960s Technological Breakthroughs • Modern plant breeding, improved agronomy, development of inorganic fertilizers & pesticides and expansion of irrigated areas helped in increasing crop productivity. Example: Wheat It took nearly 1,000 years for wheat yields to increase from 0.5 to 2 metric tonnes per hectare, but only 40 years to climb from 2 to 6 metric tonnes per hectare Green Revolution: Blessing or curse • Focus on a few grain crops: wheat, rice, maize • High inputs: fertilizers, pesticides • High resource farmers: irrigated lands • Crop yield: the major goal Salient Features of Green Revolution • Higher yields • More responsive to plant nutrients • Shorter and stiffer straw • Early maturity • Resistance to major pests and diseases Social Impacts • • • • Increased farm income Stimulation of rural non-farm economy Expansion of marketing services Real per capita income almost doubled in Asia and poverty declined from nearly three out of every five Asians in 1975 to less than one in three by 1995 • The absolute number of poor people declined from 1.15 billion in 1975 to 825 million in 1995 despite a 60% increase in population Problems associated with the Green Revolution • • • • Environmental degradation Increased income inequality Inequitable asset distribution Decline in nutritional security Some of the criticisms are valid and are still need to be addressed Green Revolution: Criticism • Excessive and inappropriate use of fertilizers and pesticides has polluted waterways, poisoned agricultural workers and killed beneficial insects and other wildlife • Irrigation practices have led to salt build-up and thus abandonment of faming lands • Ground water levels are retreating • Heavy dependence on few major cereal varieties has led to loss of biodiversity on farms Some of these outcomes were inevitable as millions of farmers began to use modern inputs for the first time but inadequate extension and training and absence of effective regulation of water quality, input pricing and subsidy policies made modern inputs too cheap and encouraged excessive use creating negative environmental impact Today there is a tendency to overstate the problem and to ignore the appropriate counterfactual situation What would have been the magnitude of hunger and poverty without the yield increases of the Green Revolution and with the same population growth? Often ignored is the positive impact of higher yields that saved huge areas of forests and environmentally fragile lands that would have otherwise be needed for farming Stark Realities….. • 800 million people cannot afford two course of meals • About 30,000 people, half of them children, die every day due to hunger and malnutrition • Nearly 1.2 billion people live on less than a dollar a day “In the next 50 years, mankind will consume as much food as we have consumed since the beginning of agriculture 10,000 years ago - Clive James” Problems with Agriculture in Developing Countries • Green Revolution fatigue • Low productivity – – – – – – Small holdings Subsistence Mercy of monsoon Limited water and land Disease, pests, drought, weeds Storage and transportation Conventional plant improvement methods are reaching their limits Agricultural growth is now 1% compared to 3% in 1970s Thus, technology must evolve and percolate to the end-user at a much faster pace “We must aim at an agricultural growth of 4% per year, if India has to achieve its ambition of overall economic growth rate of over 8 % per annum” (Prime Minister’s Inaugural Speech at National Conference on Krishi Vigyan Kendras in New Delhi. October 27, 2005) The Prime Minister reemphasized in the India Economic Summit 2005 (23rd November 2005) Though the Xth Plan assumed a growth rate of 4% for agricultural production, the reality was different…. the first 3 years we have not been able to ensure 1.5% rate of growth…. We are focusing on technological breakthroughs for scaling up yields…. Modern genetic modification Inserting one or few genes to achieve desired traits Transfer of genes into crop plants – Relatively precise and predictable – Allows flexibility Biotechnology can add value to global agriculture! • Environmental impact - decreased use of pesticides • Reduced losses from pests and diseases • Improved nutritional efficiency • Improved productivity • Post harvest quality - prolong shelf life of fruits, vegetables and flowers • Stress tolerance - drought, acidity, salinity, temperature... Why Biotechnology? • • • • • • • • Knowledge-based approach Offers unique solutions Integrates technology delivery Scale-neutral Does not displace traditional methods Environment-friendly Portable - across crops Versatile - impact on all facets of food chain from producers to consumers How biotechnology can help developing countries and resource-poor farmers? • • • • • Improve food and nutritional security Enhance production efficiency Promote sustainable agriculture Reduce environmental impact Empower the rural sector through income generation & reduce economic inequality • Reduce crop damage & food loss Constraints to biotechnology development and assimilation in developing countries • Finance • Technical capability • Infrastructure • Ambivalent policies • Trade issues •Biosafety regulation •Intellectual property protection •Public perception All Biotechnologies does not mean GM; Traditional Biotechnologies offers no resistance, yet not commercialised in developing countries such as Tissue Culture, Biopesticides, Biofertilizers Traditional Biotechnologies – Gap Analysis • Awareness about the potential benefits • Extension mechanism • Microfinancing Technologies: Micropropagation Micropropagation “Micropropagation” is a technique of regenerating clonally uniform plants under aseptic conditions Stages of Micropropagation Technologies: Micropropagation (Contd) Micropropagation Technology Park (MTP) Inoculation Room at TERI’s MTP Growth Room at TERI’s MTP Micropropagation Technology Park (MTP) (Established in 1991 through DBT support) Major Objectives: • Large-scale multiplication of superior clones of various species using tissue culture • Mass propagation of species that are difficult to regenerate by conventional methods • Transfer of proven technologies to the industry/ entrepreneurs • Impart training for large-scale production of plants by tissue culture • To serve as a technology resource centre for up-coming units Bioprospecting of Plant Diversity for Biomolecules Two Pronged Approach A) With unknown active molecules Prospecting of plant diversity for new active molecules via bioassay mediated isolation of plant extracts B) With known active molecules: e.g. Azadirachta indica, Glycerrhiza glabra, Withania etc. Prospecting of diversity for active ingredient in different plant varieties / accessions Mycorrhizal Research • • • • Consortium product of AM and EM Hyphal fusion based product Cocktail of beneficial organisms Specific product for wheat, pulse, rice rotation • Mycorrhiza for Organic farming and its package of practices for various plants Sugarcane with various treatments for pest and nutrient management IPM Chemical Control Crop nursery from the sugarcane setts of Tissue Cultured plants Our Experiences Demonstration and capacity building to absorb new technologies must be developed Questions to Ponder • Are we making adequate research investments? • Do we have long term research policies? • Implications of IPR on agriculture in developing countries? • Do we need to invest on gene discovery or work on borrowed genes? • Are our strategies geared up to meet global challenges? The challenge before us is to produce nutritious food for all at affordable price Goal Every citizen of this planet has the right to have enough nutritious food at an affordable price & to achieve this goal, technologies must be developed/ upgraded and made available to every practicing farmer.