Global Glance at Commercialized

Biotech/GM Crops by 2018

Margaret Karembu, PhD

Director, ISAAA AfriCenter

mkarembu@isaaa.org

27th August, 2019, Pretoria RSA

Network of 26 Biotech Information Centers - BICs

Philippines

ISAAA’s Global KC

Indonesia

Malaysia

Brazil

China

India

Egypt

EACBIC

ISAAA AfriCenter

South Africa

Thailand

Mali

Pakistan

Russia

Bulgaria

Sri Lanka

Spain

ItalyJapan

Burkina Faso

Bangladesh

ISAAA AmeriCenter

Vietnam

Dual Knowledge and Experience Sharing

Weekly e-Newsletter – Crop Biotech Update (CBU)

UBIC

ISAAA’s Communications' and Global

Knowledge Sharing Initiative – Pro-Choice

“Bt cotton enterprise has been

rewarding, enabling me to purchase

2 tractors, a car and a house. I have

also managed to pay my younger

sister’s education.

Attending to our crops is so much

easier and has drastically reduced

labour. We no longer need to carry

crude tools to weed and spray as

most of this is now done

mechanically”

Our Motivation

35 year-old Ms. Maria Swele

“I have made a 100%

loss this season due to

the Fall Armyworm, if

scientists have a

solution I need it

now…”

Christopher Mwasia –

Maize farmer, Kenya

Reason to Press on...

Expert Voices

• Population of 9.9 B in 2050, 11.2 B in 2100

• Climate change related stresses such as drought

account for 80% of economic losses worth US$29

billion (N10.5trn); 10-25% yield losses in staples rice,

maize and wheat per degree increase in temperature

• Emergence of new pests and diseases such as fall

armyworm that destroys maize, rice, vegetables,

groundnut and cotton

• More losses expected with the interplay of these

stresses, needing 119% increase in edible crops by

2050

…and the list goes on.

Challenges in Feeding the World of Tomorrow

• Biotech Crop Adoption in 2018

• New Approvals and Commercialized Crops

• Future Prospects (2018 and beyond)

Biotech Crops Continue to Help Meet

Challenges of Increased Population and

Climate Change

Report Overview

• 70 countries adopted biotech crops through

cultivation and importation

• 26 countries (21 developing and 5

industrialized countries) planted 191.7 million

hectares of biotech crops

• 1.9 million hectares added from 2017

• Nigeria became the first country in the world

to approve biotech cowpea

• Swaziland joined South Africa and Sudan in

planting biotech crops in Africa

Report Summary

Global Area of Biotech Crops, 1996 to 2018:

Industrial and Developing Countries

191.7m

Total biotech

crop area in

2018 (Ha)

103.1m

Biotech crop

area in

developing

countries (Ha)

88.6m

Biotech crop

area in

industrial

countries (Ha)

Global Area of Biotech Crops, 2018:

Regional Proportions and Country Area

10 Latin American, 9 Asia Pacific, 2 North American,

2 EU, and 3 African countries

Top 5 Countries that Planted Biotech

Crops in 2018 (Area and Adoption Rate)

Sudan

Ethiopia

Kenya

Tanzania

Uganda

Mozambique

eSwatini

South Africa

Ghana

Burkina Faso Nigeria

Cameroon

Malawi

Key

12 Crops(3 commercial, rest

pipeline)

13 Countries14 Traits

2018 Africa Commercial Planting 3.14 million Ha; RSA in top ten; Nigeria 1st country globally to approve Bt cowpea

22.3

61.5

90102

120.6

192

243

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18 2018/19

Area (1000 Ha)

Bt Cotton Adoption in Sudan 2012-2018

.

Diversifying into cotton, a

crop that does well in dry

areas, is a big relief for

farmers. Bt cotton is a big

fortune.

Farmer Voices

Bt Cotton in Eswatini…

NISELA Bt cotton farms in

Nsoko, Eswatini

Farmer Voices - Sudan

Biotech canola – USA and Canada

Countries with Close to or Over

90% Major Biotech Crop Adoption

Biotech soybean - USA, Brazil, Argentina,

Canada, Paraguay, South Africa, Bolivia and

Uruguay

Biotech maize – USA, Brazil, Argentina, Canada,

and Uruguay

Biotech cotton – USA, Argentina, India,

Paraguay, Pakistan, China, South Africa,

Australia, and Mexico

Global Adoption Rates (%)

for Principal Biotech Crops, 2018

Global Area of Biotech Crops, 1996 to

2018: By Trait

New Crops and Traits Planted in 2018

400 hectares Insect resistant

sugarcane, Brazil

Best solution to cane borer which

cost US$1.5 billion losses and

insecticide expense

1,343 hectares drought tolerant

sugarcane in government-owned

farms in Indonesia

20-30% higher yield compared to

conventional

68 hectares of high oleic

safflower in R&D, market

development and seed

production, Australia

Impact of Biotech Crops from 1996-2016

• Capability – Ability to edit native crop genes coding for important traits and generating non-transgenic plants

• Four Comparative Advantages over Conventional/GM

1. Precision – more precise, similar to natural mutations, no new material inserted in the genome

2. Regulation – science-based, fit-for-purpose, proportionate and non-onerous regulation – several countries have classified genome-edited as non-GM

3. Speed – substantially faster

4. Cost – faster-speed and less onerous regulation translates to significant cost savings

• Genome-edited crops being improved include, soybean, maize, wheat, rice, potato, tomato, and peanuts

Potential of New Breeding TechnologiesCRISPR, TALENs, Zinc Finger Nucleases

Non-browning mushrooms:

knock out of ppo gene, in

the market

Altered starch composition:

deletion of wax gene

Northern leaf blight resistance:

allele replacement

Knock-out ppo5 to reduce black

spots

Genome-edited Products for Release to Farmer Fields

Genome-edited Products for Release to Farmer Fields

6,475 hectares High

Oleic acid soybean

with no transfat,

USA, 2018

Camelina sativa with high yield

and quality oil content, US

approved, in 2019 release

High fiber wheat,

approved in the US,

2020 release

Other GE products not

regulated:

• Powdery mildew-resistant

wheat

• High oleic/low linoleic

soybeans

• Cold storable potatoesImproved lignin

content in Alfalfa

Le

ve

l o

f d

eve

lop

me

nt

Level of Functionality

MAIN CHALLENGE:

Unpredictable Political, Regulatory and

Policy Landscape

Long

Tedious

Painful

Many extraneous

variables!

‘THE EU FACTOR’

ORGANIC?

AGRO-

ECOLOGY?

(Ref F. Nangayo 2017)

Role of the Media

From Debate to Dialogue…

Help Africa shed off

“victim mentality”

and become active players

in building a vibrant

BIOECONOMY

Future Prospects

1. New biotech crops and traits in the pipeline

2. Application of science-based and efficient GM crop regulation

3. The potential of New Breeding Techniques such as genome editing in variety development

Biotechnology continues to be important to

meet the 50% increase in food demand by 2050!

Biotech crops can help

address challenges named

by F.A.O., U.N.:

Population growth,

urbanization and ageing

Climate change

Agricultural productivity and

innovation

Transboundary pests and

diseases

Nutrition and health

Food losses and waste

August 2019

Thank you