Role of biotechnology for sustainable agriculture

Sustainable agriculture is farming in sustainable ways based on an understanding of ecosystem services, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. It is also defined as an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will last over the long term, for example to satisfy human food and fiber needs, to enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends, to make the most efficient use of non-renewable and on-farm resources and integrate natural biological cycles and controls, to sustain the economic viability of farm operations, and to enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole. Researchers have put forward agricultural biotechnology as one possible tool for increasing food production and making agriculture more sustainable. At least for now, no one has developed a fully sstainable agriculture, and for the foreseeable future there will always be room for improvement. Sustainable agriculture focuses on producing long-term crops and livestock with minimum effects on the environment. Now agriculture tries to find and maintain a good balance between the need for food production and the preservation of the ecological system within the environment. Sustainable agriculture also focuses on maintaining economic stability of farms and helping farmers improve their techniques and quality of life.