Romantic ideologies about a past that never existed can entertain the satisfied, but can not nourish the world. Most lands and soils suitable for productive farming are already serving us in most world areas, and marginal lands that could be cleared and plowed include key habitat and ecosystem services needed for a healthy planet. It will depend in large part on the products of new technology. I believe that science plays a major role in producing good answers to the tough challenges of food, nutrition and health. And biotechnology is one of the tools we need for progress.
Biotechnology is a type of information technology.
You know the beneficial trait you want, and can discover the genetic information responsible for that trait. The information can be recovered from a great storehouse of genetic diversity contained in plants in microbes. Products of biotechnology have become well established in health care. Important new products have improved the quality of life for millions of people. These new products effectively substitute genetic information, encoded in the genes of the plants and powered by the energy of the sun, for hard inputs.