CropLife Asia Celebrates Earth Day 2015

Plant Science Technology Highlighted as Key Resource to Greater Farming Efficiency, Protecting the Planet for Future Generations

Singapore, 22 April 2015 – With Asia and the world set to recognize Earth Day, the important conservation benefits being delivered through plant science industry innovations were highlighted in a statement released today by CropLife Asia.

“Earth Day is a time to not only recognize the abundance of natural resources our planet provides, it’s also an opportunity to recommit ourselves to good stewardship towards their conservation for future generations,” said Dr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director of CropLife Asia. “The agricultural advancements being produced by the plant science industry are helping farmers feed a growing population with less land – and less impact to world around us.”

Estimates indicate the world’s population will exceed nine billion inhabitants by the year 2050. Asia alone is projected to have roughly one billion more people calling it home.^[1] The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has also estimated that roughly two-thirds of the world’s hungry live in Asia and the Pacific.

To meet these demands, growers around the world will need to produce more food – as much as 70% more than today – while reducing the footprint of farming. The technology of plant science is a key resource towards making that possible. Crop protection products prevent nearly 40% of global rice and maize harvests from being lost every year.^[2] Meanwhile, biotech crops helped slow the advance of climate change by reducing carbon emissions. It is estimated biotech crop plantings in 2013 alone lowered carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 12.4 million cars from the road for one year.^[3]

^[1]United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision, medium variant (2011)
^[2] Oerke, E.C., 2006, “Crop losses to pests”, Journal of Agricultural Science, vol. 144
^[3] International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), Brief 49 – 2014