Biotechnology in Agriculture - Feeding the World’s Growing Population

The biotech industry has developed a myriad of healthcare innovations, delivering novel solutions for diseases once deemed untreatable. However, its impact extends far beyond healthcare; scientists in diverse fields have been looking at ways to leverage biotechnology to create sustainable advancements in agriculture and beyond. 

The human population is expected to reach around 9.7 billion by 2050. This growth means that more food must be produced sustainably to meet rising needs without overburdening natural resources or the environment. How can biotech support this challenge? 

By 2025, the global food industry will need to produce around 56% more food, which is expected to increase the amount of land used for agriculture. With the help of new technologies such as lab-grown meat and gene editing, we can try to reduce the expansion of agricultural land and lower emissions to create a more resilient and sustainable food system.  

Cellular agriculture

This term encompasses a variety of cell culture techniques used to produce food. These include lab-grown meat, plant-based proteins, and lab-grown dairy products. Lab-grown meat involves cultivating animal cells in bioreactors to produce meat without raising livestock. Plant-based proteins are used to create meat alternatives using microorganisms such as yeast and fungi. Similarly, lab-grown dairy products, such as milk or cheese, are produced without the need for cows or other animals, offering more sustainable and ethical food options. 

Cellular agriculture offers many more benefits than being a more sustainable way to cultivate meat. In addition to being better for animal welfare, it provides more food security. Since the meat is produced in an enclosed, controlled environment, there is a lower chance of zoonotic disease proliferation. Therefore, antibiotics will not be needed to stop the spread of infection, as they typically are in traditional farming methods. 

However, it will still take some time before lab-grown meat reaches supermarket shelves and becomes publicly available. A few hurdles need to be crossed, starting with scaling up meat production and developing the right taste and texture of the protein. It also needs to be fit for human consumption. Just as drugs go through regulatory approval, so will lab-grown meat. 

After crossing these hurdles comes the most significant and important of all: consumer approval. Will consumers, i.e. the public, be willing to purchase and eat lab-grown meat? A study published in 2021 looked at consumer attitudes towards cultured meat and found that whilst people would be willing to pay a higher price for more ethically produced meat, they are more likely to buy meat substitutes but not lab-grown meat. There is still a “food neophobia” tied to the fact that there are still uncertainties in the safety and nutritional qualities of cultured meat. 

There is a plethora of research dedicated to the nutritional profile of lab-grown meat. Currently, we cannot fully reproduce the in vivo environment in vitro. This means some vitamins, minerals, and other nutritional components will be absent from cultured meat since they are not created in the muscle cells but come from other places in the body or the animal's diet. More research is needed to confirm the nutritional value of lab-grown meat and its long-term health implications. 

GMOs and CRISPR in crops

Alternatively, Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and gene-editing technologies like CRISPR have been enhancing agricultural processes by improving crop yields and resilience. GMOs use the process of altering the DNA of an organism, making it express beneficial traits, such as repelling pests or speedier growth. CRISPR uses a more precise technology that enables scientists to edit specific genes in the plant DNA, resulting in specific enhancements in the crop. Both technologies have helped farmers face challenges such as climate change and adverse weather conditions and ensure stable food production all year round. 

GMOs and CRISPR-modified crops have contributed to reducing pesticide use by genetically modifying plants to resist pests, which benefits the environment. These technologies have also led to the development of drought-tolerant crops capable of surviving in regions that experience extended dry periods, a growing concern as climate change increasingly impacts food security.

Biotechnology has given us the tools to create more resilient crops, and it’s also given us the technology to develop biofortified crops, helping to tackle the problem of malnutrition. One example is golden rice, which has been genetically modified to produce beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A. This aims to reduce vitamin A deficiencies that can cause blindness and immune deficiencies, especially in children in developing countries. Such technologies have been the subject of significant controversy in recent years, with debates focusing on human safety, environmental impact, and ethical implications. Concerns have also been raised over the potential long-term effects on health and biodiversity and corporate control of genetically modified seeds. Even though GMOs and CRISPR-modified crops have the potential to maintain food supply and security, these concerns create a barrier to widespread acceptance.

Looking forward…

We often tout the advancements of biotechnology in agriculture but forget the associated costs of research and development. Even though costs have decreased in recent years, it’s still too expensive to produce lab-grown meat, and it remains to be seen whether it can be made accessible globally. Scalability is another critical factor. Transitioning from small-scale laboratory production to large-scale manufacturing facilities requires significant investment and technological advancements. Crossing these hurdles is essential in bringing biotech innovations to the broader global population.

Biotechnology presents significant opportunities to tackle the challenges of feeding a growing global population sustainably. Innovations like cellular agriculture and genetic engineering have the potential to enhance food production efficiency and security. However, challenges such as regulatory hurdles, ethics, and consumer acceptance persist. As research progresses and public understanding grows, biotechnology could be the answer to building a sustainable food system that benefits both people and the environment.