How can biotechnology help to improve the living standards of farmers?

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Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Biotechnology improves farmers' living standards by raising yields, cutting input costs, reducing climate risk and improving nutrition and allied income. ICAR's genome-edited rice varieties released in May 2025 promise up to 19% higher yield, following Bt cotton's doubling of cotton output after 2002.

**Introduction**

Over 86% of India's holdings are small and marginal (Agriculture Census 2015-16), so farmers' living standards hinge on yield, cost, risk and nutrition. Biotechnology works on all four at once.

**How Biotechnology Raises Farm Incomes**

SKETCH: flow | Biotech to better living
- Improved seed and inputs
- Higher yield, lower cost
- Stable net income
- Better food and health
- Higher living standard

1. **Higher yields**: ICAR's genome-edited rice varieties Kamala and Pusa DST Rice 1 (May 2025) promise up to 19% higher yield, and Bt cotton helped cotton output more than double within a decade of 2002.
2. **Lower input costs**: Biofertilisers such as Rhizobium and biopesticides such as Trichoderma cut chemical spending, and tissue-cultured banana in Jalgaon gives disease-free crops.
3. **Risk resilience**: The drought-tolerant chickpea SAATVIK (NC 9) and flood-tolerant Swarna Sub1 rice protect income in a bad monsoon.
4. **Allied income**: Sex-sorted semen under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission raises milk yields, and the National Animal Disease Control Programme (2019) fights foot-and-mouth disease.

**Beyond Income: Nutrition and Residue**

1. **Biofortified nutrition**: Iron-rich pearl millet Dhanshakti and zinc-rich wheat tackle hidden hunger in farm households.
2. **Residue to revenue**: IARI's Pusa decomposer turns paddy straw into manure, and SATAT biogas plants buy crop residue.
3. **Village bio-enterprise**: DBT's Biotech-KISAN hubs and the BioE3 Policy (2024) support local biofertiliser and biopesticide units.

**Way Forward**

1. **Science-based regulation**: Fast-track genome-edited crops exempted from GM rules in 2022, and settle GM mustard on evidence after the Supreme Court's split verdict of 2024.
2. **Fair access**: Curb illegal herbicide-tolerant cotton seed and spread new seed through Krishi Vigyan Kendras and FPOs.

**Conclusion**

Biotechnology can lift farmers from subsistence to security. Paired with fair access and trusted regulation, it serves SDG 2 and an Atmanirbhar agriculture.

How can biotechnology help to improve the living standards of farmers?

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