Biotechnology is the science of using precise, state-of-the-art techniques for improving genetic varieties of, say, fruits and vegetables to make them more pest-resistant or to boost their nutritional value. Biotechnology can give us micro-organisms that act as vaccines, or that treat sewage and even clean up toxic waste. Other techniques can shorten the time it takes a tree to grow to maturity.
At a time when hunger remains a serious problem for perhaps a billion people, and per capita yields of the major cereal grains have leveled off or decreased, biotechnology holds great promise for raising productivity.