What is the contribution of GMOs to the environment?

There are some issues involving agriculture that are being frequently discussed by public opinion. With the world population growing, how can we produce more without increasing the cultivable area? How to meet this demand for food? In times when the word “sustainability” is in the spotlight, how can we make agriculture have a smaller impact on the environment, using fewer resources and having to deal with climate change?

The answer is not just one. There is a set of solutions that, when integrated, will help us (in fact, they are already helping) to improve agriculture in all aspects.

To begin with, I bring here some numbers about Intacta soybeans that reflect the product's results over the last five years in South America. According to a study carried out by Graham Brookes Consulting, since the 2013/2014 harvest, 73,6 million hectares of soybeans were planted. Intact soybeans, generating a gain of more than US$7,64 billion for producers, thanks to better productivity and lower pesticide costs – the reduction was 10,44 million kilos (-15,1%). Productivity, in numbers, cited by the same study, is 20 million tons of soybeans more since the 2013/2014 harvest – still considering only South America.

In addition to productivity numbers, the study also provides data on the relationship between GMOs and sustainability: in the 2017/2018 harvest, for example, an additional 2,2 million hectares would be needed if the areas planted with Intacta soybeans were replaced by soybeans. conventional (non-transgenic) – about 14 times the size of the city of São Paulo. Imagine if we needed to expand this much arable land to increase production?

The adoption of biotechnology has helped to reduce deforestation, preserving forests. And this has a huge environmental impact: did you know, for example, that the average carbon dioxide emission generated by deforestation in the Amazon is estimated between 301 tons/ha and 499 tons/ha?

Reducing the use of pesticides also helps make agriculture more sustainable. Reducing the application of pesticides means using less machinery, which means reducing the use of fuel and consequently lower gas emissions. In the 2017/2018 harvest, this drop can be compared to the removal of 3,3 million cars from the roads, a little less than half the number of cars in São Paulo.

Assessing all these issues is part of the efforts to have modern, sustainable agriculture adapted to the evolving needs of our planet. Sustainability involves concern with the amount of food to be produced to serve the high-growth population, promoting less deforestation and more care for our future.