5 Genetically modified crops and development

A genetically modified (GM) crop is a plant into which one or several genes coding for desirable traits have been inserted through genetic engineering. The basic techniques of plant genetic engineering were developed in the early 1980s, with the first GM crops becoming commercially available in the mid-1990s. Since then, GM crop adoption has increased rapidly. In 2011, GM crops were already grown on more than 10 per cent of the global arable land. Half of this area is located in developing countries (Figure 4.5.1).