Our position on biotechnology

It is critical that humanity meet the food needs of a growing population and relieve the increasing pressures on natural systems. Environmental Defense Fund supports the coexistence of diverse farming systems to ensure a sustainable future for farmers, society, and our environment. Achieving these goals will require a comprehensive strategy that draws on a wide range of approaches and technologies, including biotechnology.

EDF recognizes the use of biotechnology as a legitimate deployment of science in the search for effective solutions, and also recognizes that past deployment of some biotechnology products has caused legitimate concerns. For that reason, we will support or oppose specific biotechnology products or processes based on transparent assessments of their health, environmental, social, and economic risks and benefits. The risks and benefits of biotechnology products will often vary by organism, geography and other variables, and need to be assessed at relevant temporal and spatial scales.

New products and techniques resulting from the application of biotechnology, like products of all science, technology, and engineering, need to be evaluated for their risks and benefits, including social implications, before they are deployed. For this reason, EDF does not support or oppose broad categories of biotechnology products, such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and recognizes that some proposed products may not result in beneficial outcomes or warrant support.