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Forestry

Forests represent an important natural resource that can help developing countries improve their economic well-being. More than 1.6 billion people worldwide depend on forests for some part of their livelihood. Forests provide a wealth of important wood and non-timber forest products (such as edible nuts and fruits, medicinal plants, fibers and rubber) that people in the developed and developing world rely on. The value of wood and non-timber products provided by forests is immeasurable.

Biotechnology

In many developing countries economic growth and increased income-earning opportunities, especially for the rural poor, depend on the performance of the agriculture sector. Over the last 20 years, improved crop varieties have accounted for an estimated half of agricultural productivity improvements. As we face global population growth, increased competition for land and water resources from industrial and urban growth, climate change, and the need to protect the environment, we need new solutions to increasing agricultural productivity to combat hunger and poverty. Agricultural biotechnology offers an important tool, which along with traditional breeding, new technologies, and improved resource management, enhances crop, livestock, and aquaculture productivity.