Recently, the lack of resources, environmental pollution, and climate change have become increasingly serious issues, posing a dangerous threat to global crop safety. Therefore, to ensure crop security, we need to find an effective way to produce more crops in limited spaces. We must act quickly to develop methods that will allow us to produce more nutritious and abundant agricultural products.
95% of the world's food is produced from soil. However, traditional agriculture, while achieving high yields, has seen a dramatic decrease in the input-output ratio of fertilizers and pesticides. The current state of the soil can be described as "salty, sour, and manure-laden," putting increasing pressure on soil environments. One-third of the world's soil has already degraded. Experts estimate that by 2050, soil erosion could lead to a 10% reduction in crop yields. Additionally, the unscientific and excessive use of pesticides poses significant challenges to food safety, ecological security, and human health!
According to the latest 2023 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization on "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World": In 2022, 2.4 billion people were in moderate or severe food insecurity, accounting for about 30% of the global population. Experts estimate that by 2050, the global population will increase by 2 billion, and global food production must rise by 70% to meet the growing food demand. This translates to a required annual increase of 2.2%, a pace currently difficult to achieve with existing agricultural practices and unsustainable from an ecological perspective.
The food crisis, coupled with limited arable land development and growth, presents more challenges for agricultural production. Therefore, innovative solutions are urgently needed to enhance food production efficiency and nutritional quality. Synthetic biology, as one of the most leading and disruptive strategic technologies in agricultural science, holds promise for overcoming traditional agricultural bottlenecks and resource constraints.
What is Synthetic Biology?
Synthetic biology is a new and integrative field of study that contrasts with the "top-down" analysis approach of systems biology. It advances our conventional research strategies to new heights. Often hailed as the key to understanding life and a disruptive technology that can change the future, it is regarded as the "third revolution in biological sciences" and represents a crucial technological pathway for humanity’s leap from understanding life to designing it. Its engineering capabilities hold the promise of making significant contributions to solving major issues in health, energy, food, and the environment.
In application, synthetic biology technology has already shown initial results in agricultural food innovation, representing a significant aspect of food security. According to BCC Research, the fastest growth is in the food and agriculture sectors, with an annual compound growth rate of about 64% from 2019 to 2024. Statistics from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences indicate that synthetic biology manufacturing products currently save 30% to 50% in energy and reduce emissions, with future potential reaching 50% to 70%.
Synthetic biology technology will be a key area in future agricultural science and technology strategies. Future agricultural synthetic biology is expected to focus on breakthroughs in efficient photosynthesis, biological nitrogen fixation, biological stress resistance, biological agents, and future foods. By 2035, it is anticipated that these advancements will lead to a reduction of chemical pesticide and fertilizer use by over 30%, an increase in photosynthetic efficiency by 50%, and a yield increase of 10% to 20%.
The development of new types of productivity requires abandoning traditional economic growth models and instead focusing on enhancing productivity to drive and support high-quality development. In the new key sectors identified by the country, synthetic biology technology is a crucial engine for advancing new types of productivity.
As an agricultural powerhouse, China faces dual pressures of rigid demand for grain production and constraints on resources and the environment. China's per capita arable land is about 40% of the world average, and the utilization rate of agricultural chemicals and fertilizers is only 30% to 35%. The misuse of fertilizers and pesticides has led to serious issues such as soil degradation, environmental pollution, and food safety concerns.
Therefore, there is an urgent need to use synthetic biology technology to significantly improve the efficiency of resources such as light, fertilizer, water, and land. This will enhance the international competitiveness of the industry, promote the leap-forward development of modern agriculture in China, and ensure food security, ecological safety, and public health.
The development of synthetic biology aligns with China's "dual carbon" goals and, compared to traditional technologies, offers greater environmental benefits and cost advantages. Since 2020, various governmental bodies, including the National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology, and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as well as major economic regions, have issued policies to promote the development of synthetic biology.
The 2021 Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering conference highlighted that "the precision of technological innovation has significantly increased, and research on biological macromolecules and genes has entered a stage of precise regulation, moving from understanding and modifying life to synthesizing and designing life."
On May 10, 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission released the "14th Five-Year Plan for bio-economy Development," which explicitly states that bio-economy, including synthetic biology, is a new driver for China's economic transformation.
Meanwhile, the maturity of underlying technologies and the resulting decrease in costs have laid the foundation for the rapid development of synthetic biology and provided opportunities for more enterprises to enter the field.
China's grain production has remained at a high level of 1.3 trillion kg for several years, and the difficulty of achieving further progress is increasing. The Central No. 1 Document this year proposed implementing a new round of actions to increase grain production capacity by one hundred billion kg. The recent Central Economic Work Conference explicitly stated the need to ensure the stable and safe supply of important agricultural products, establish a broad view of agriculture and food, and build agriculture into a modern large-scale industry.
Post time: Aug-02-2024
