The Adventure Begins
Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our environment. Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and the biotic world can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations. Sustainability is important to making sure that we have and will continue to have, the water, materials, and resources to protect human health and our environment.
Have you ever wondered where our agricultural crops come from?
Wieczorek, A. M. & Wright, M. G. (2012) History of Agricultural Biotechnology: How Crop Development has Evolved. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):9
About 10,000 years BC, people harvested their food from the natural biological diversity that surrounded them, and eventually domesticated crops and animals. During the process of domestication, people began to select better plant materials for propagation and animals for breeding, initially unwittingly, but ultimately with the intention of developing improved food crops and livestock. Over thousands of years farmers selected for desirable traits in crops, and thus improved the plants for agricultural purposes. Desirable traits included crop varieties (also known as cultivars, from "cultivated varieties") with shortened growing seasons, increased resistance to diseases and pests, larger seeds and fruits, nutritional content, shelf life, and better adaptation to diverse ecological conditions under which crops were grown.
Over the centuries, agricultural technology developed a broad spectrum of options for food, feed, and fiber production. In many ways, technology reduces the amount of time we dedicate to basic activities like food production, and makes our lives easier and more enjoyable. Everyone is familiar with how transportation has changed over time to be more efficient and safer (Figure 1). Agriculture has also undergone tremendous changes, many of which have made food and fiber production more efficient and safer.
Many different tools are available for increasing and improving agricultural production. These tools include methods to develop new varieties such as classical breeding and biotechnology. Traditional agricultural approaches are experiencing some resurgence today, with renewed interest in organic agriculture; an approach that does not embrace the use of genetically engineered crops. The role that genetic engineering stands to play in sustainable agricultural development is an interesting topic for the future.
Over the centuries, agricultural technology developed a broad spectrum of options for food, feed, and fiber production. In many ways, technology reduces the amount of time we dedicate to basic activities like food production, and makes our lives easier and more enjoyable. Everyone is familiar with how transportation has changed over time to be more efficient and safer (Figure 1). Agriculture has also undergone tremendous changes, many of which have made food and fiber production more efficient and safer.
Many different tools are available for increasing and improving agricultural production. These tools include methods to develop new varieties such as classical breeding and biotechnology. Traditional agricultural approaches are experiencing some resurgence today, with renewed interest in organic agriculture; an approach that does not embrace the use of genetically engineered crops. The role that genetic engineering stands to play in sustainable agricultural development is an interesting topic for the future.