The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States

Abstract

The use of GE crops in the United States has been through 14 years since their introduction and several National Research Council(NRC) reports have addressed the effects of GE crops on the environment and on human health during 2000 to 2004.However,the effects of agricultural biotechnology at the farm level have received much less attention.To fill that information gap,the NRC initiated the study and released the first comprehensive assessment of the effects of GE-crop adoption on farm sustainability in the United States.This report addresses just the scientific questions and is based on peer-reviewed literature to form conclusions and recommendations.In general,the committee finds that genetic-engineering technology has produced substantial net environmental and economic benefits to U.S.farmers;however the social effects of agricultural biotechnology have largely been unexplored.This report details the challenges and opportunities for future GE crops and offers recommendations on how crop-management practices and future research and development efforts can help to realize the full potential offered by genetic engineering.