The first Green Revolution involved high yielding plant varieties and more fuel, fertilizers, and pesticides. These technologies affected the environment by depleting non-renewable resources and producing pollutants. The FAO believes that the second Green Revolution will have to be more environmentally friendly. It will boost yields by improving genetic material and farm management without using excessive amounts of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. A Key to Increased Food Production Agricultural biotechnology makes use of the vast potential of genes to improve the performance of microbes, plants, and animals.
Genes provide living organisms with a kind of blueprint for inherited traits.
Using biotechnologies such as genetic engineering it is possible to change the genetic structure of living things, resulting in improved inherited traits. A recent example of the potential of biotechnology to improve food production was discovered at the Plant Biotechnology Institute in Saskatoon. The research team believes that the same technology is applicable to canola, one of the world's major sources of food oil. They also expect that the technology can be applied to other oilseeds such as flax, corn, or soybeans. Biotechnologies to Improve Plant Productivity Genetic modification of crop plants to increase yield is just one of the plant biotechnologies being developed.