Photo：Guenay Ulutuncok

Biotechnology and genetic engineering

Biotechnology is the term used to designate all technical applications that use biological systems，living organisms or products thereof to produce or change products or procedures for a specific purpose. Biotechnology thus embraces “classic” procedures such as brewing beer and producing yoghurt（fermentation）as well as microbiological procedures（e.g. synthesis of natural substances）and genetic engineering which aims to make specific changes to the DNA of an organism.

The term “modern biotechnology”as defined in the text of the Cartagena Protocol refers to the application of genetic techniques that overcome natural reproductive or recombination barriers and that are not techniques used in traditional breeding and selection. GMOs，or “living modified organisms” as they are termed in the protocol，are defined as “any living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology”.

The use of genetic engineering methods in agriculture is associated with highly disparate expectations. While research and industry have for 20 years been holding out the prospect of reducing hunger and poverty through the cultivation of genetically modified crops，advanced breeding methods that do not involve genetic engineering are now yielding more attractive alternatives. Many breeding successes were reported in 2007，including beans for dry and impoverished soils in Colombia，rice for land at risk of flooding in Bangladesh and wheat for dry soils in India.

The genetically modified plants that are now being grown-soya，maize，rape and cotton with resistance to herbicides and some insect species-are accredited by research and industry as well as