Biotech or organic - which is more sustainable?

There is an ongoing debate on which practice is better for the environment—one that utilizes biotechnology or one that centers on an organic approach. A recent post on the United Soybean Board sustainability blog (http://www.usbthinkingahead.com/) dispels a few myths about the sustainability of each.

Concerned about biotech and sustainability? Check out some myths and facts:

Myth: Biotech Is Inherently Unsafe

Fact: Consumers worldwide have been eating biotech crops in some form or other since 1997 without any sign that they have caused any health or safety problems, according to the European Commission.

Myth: Biotech Crops Threaten Organic Farmers

Fact: Experience shows that organic and biotech farming can both thrive in the same place. The "organic‟ label identifies only a system of farming, not what is present or absent from produce. A July 2009 study by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) which compared biotech, conventional and organic soybean production systems in terms of sustainability concluded that all three systems were environmentally sustainable and could be managed for profit – assuming that appropriate market incentives existed for each system.

Myth: Biotech Threatens Biodiversity

Fact: Out-crossing and herbicide resistance are well-understood crop management problems that have occurred long before biotechnology was developed. There is no evidence that biotech crops are, or will be, any less manageable than their conventional counterparts.