ISAAA Reports Emerging Trends in Agricultural Biotechnology Across Asia, Oceania, and Africa
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Agricultural biotechnology continues to gain ground across Asia, Oceania, and Africa. In 2024, Asia and Oceania reached a significant milestone with nine countries cultivating a combined 20.81 million hectares of biotech crops—nearly 10% of global biotech crop plantings. Africa's leading adopter, South Africa, planted 3.5 million hectares of GM crops in the same year, ranking eighth globally, while seven other African countries took strides in commercial biotech crop adoption. ISAAA 2024 Biotech Facts & Trends: Asia & Oceania and newly launched 2024 Biotech Facts & Trends: Africa offer a closer look at how agricultural biotechnology is developing across the two regions, from crop adoption and emerging applications to country-level developments and the regulatory and social factors influencing their adoption.
A Broader Portfolio of Biotech Crops
Biotech crop development and adoption have been geared toward insect resistant crops for a long time. However, the agri-biotech landscape is now expanding beyond crop protection to address diverse agricultural problems like climate stresses and food security.
TELA maize, for example, combines insect resistance with drought tolerance, while biotechnology is also being applied to crops such as Australia’s GM banana, which is resistant to Fusarium wilt Tropical Race 4, and pest-resistant cowpea in Nigeria.
Adoption Depends on More Than the Technology
When it comes to GM adoption, the question we face is not simply "Does the technology work?", but rather "How quickly can a country create the favorable conditions for farmers to be able to use it?"
Despite many Asian and African countries opening their doors to biotech/GM crops, regulatory uncertainty, seed availability and cost, farmer preferences, legal challenges, and public perceptions can influence whether a technology actually reaches farmers.
Regulation and Public Trust Shape What’s Next
Unlocking the full potential of these crops requires predictable, science-based regulation and effective science communication.
Public trust plays a critical role in adoption. Engaging public concerns such as food prices, farm incomes, and job creation through trusted local channels can help bridge the gap between technical innovation and everyday lives. Kenya’s experience with scientist-led radio communication, which was perceived as a credible source of information, could offer a useful model for building public understanding in other contexts.
Explore ISAAA Biotech Facts & Trends publications for a deeper look at agricultural biotechnology trends in Asia and Oceania and Africa. The two publications are supplementary to ISAAA Brief 57: Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops in 2024. Both are available for free to Biotech Updates Elite subscribers or for purchase through the ISAAA website for US$15 each.
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