In 2012, 17.3 million farmers grew GMO crops 1, and 9 countries grow 97% of world’s GM crops. 1 While these statistics show how widespread GMO crop usage has become and how lucrative GMO seeds have been for the biotech industry over these last 17 years, it is important to note that with the growth of GMO use there still has not been a clear reflection of improvements for crop yields or for benefits for the welfare of the actual farmers growing GMOs. These 170 million hectares mean that GMO crops now occupy over 10% of the world’s arable land.
According to the ISAAA, an international organization that supports crop biotechnology, biotech crops have increased 100-fold, from 1.7 million hectares (4.2 million acres) in 1996, to 170 million hectares (420 million acres) in 2012. Despite wide-ranging concerns relating to genetically modified foods and crops, the use of GMOs in farming has increased annually since the technology’s commercial introduction in 1996.
