June 21, 2004 NUTRITION NEWS FOCUS "Nutrition news is important. We help you understand it!" Today's Topic: Biotechnology Down on the Farm The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization issued a report recently that urges more widespread use of biotechnology in agriculture. Farming will have to sustain an additional two billion people over the next 30 years from an increasingly fragile resource base. We must increase yields, decrease costs, protect the environment, address concerns about food safety and quality, and enhance rural livelihoods. The report, "The State of Food and Agriculture 2003-04" is available online at http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y5160E/Y5160E00.HTM. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Biotechnology is more than genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Traditional breeding can be sped up dramatically. Vaccines can be produced better, faster, and cheaper. But GMOs are not something to fear. Based on all the science available, they represent major advances in agriculture that will equal the impact of the "green revolution" begun in the 1960's with conventional plant breeding and the use of fertilizers. These developments allow us to feed the population of the planet which has increased by more than 50 percent in 35 years.