GMO Answers Celebrates World Water Week; Releases New Infographic Showcasing GMOs Impact on Water Conservation

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In honor of this year's World Water Week 2016, "Water for Sustainable Growth," GMO Answers released a new infographic to educate consumers about how GMOs help conserve water usage in agriculture. Water is one of the most important factors in producing food, fuel and fiber, and preserving water is critical to agriculture's sustainability. With changing weather patterns and an increased number of widespread droughts – water conservation continues to be a challenge and priority for communities around the world. Advancements in biotechnology such as drought-tolerant, genetically modified (GM) crops are one solution to helping farmers use less water and reduce irrigation needs.   

"Water is precious, which is why choosing sustainable practices to help resolve ongoing environmental challenges is so important," said Kate Hall, managing director of the Council for Biotechnology Information and GMO Answers spokesperson. "We're pleased to share our new infographic in celebration of World Water Week and to continue our education efforts to show the public how GMOs help protect and preserve our limited, natural resources."

Drought and water scarcity has been rising steadily since the 1970s, according to the Environmental Protection Agency¹. And according to the United Nations, by 2025 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions.² GMO Answers' "Water Preservation" infographic illustrates how GMOs allow farmers to do more with less to conserve water and grow more drought tolerant plants:

• GM crops have helped reduce the irrigation needs of U.S. grown cotton by 50 percent over the last 20 years.³
• GM crops can decrease the rate at which water is lost through transpiration, while improving yield in drought conditions with crops like rice.⁴
• Nearly 6,400 bodies of water can benefit from reduced soil erosion through the usage of GM crops.³ That's an average of 128 lakes, streams and rivers per state in the U.S.!

Visit GMOAnswers.com for more information on GMOs and their connection to water conservation and sustainability.  

About GMO Answers
GMO Answers is committed to responding to your questions about how our food is grown. Our goal is to make information about agricultural biotechnology easier to access and evaluate. The members of GMO Answers commit to five core principles —welcoming and answering questions on all GMO topics; making GMO information, research and data easy to access and evaluate, and supporting safety testing of GM products, including allowing independent safety testing of our products through validated science-based methods; supporting farmers as they work to grow crops using precious resources more efficiently,  with less impact on the environment and producing safe, nutritious food and feed products; respecting farmers' rights to choose the seeds that are best for their farms, businesses and communities and providing seed choices that include non-GM seeds based on market demands; and respecting people around the world and their right to choose healthy food products that are best for themselves and their families. GMO Answers is produced by the members of The Council for Biotechnology Information, which includes BASF, Bayer CropScience, Dow AgroSciences, DuPont, Monsanto Company and Syngenta. Our members are dedicated to the responsible development and application of plant biotechnology. Visit www.GMOAnswers.com.

¹ https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/signs/droughts.html
² "Water Scarcity." UN Water Thematic Factsheets. Retrieved from http://www.unwater.org/statistics/thematic-factsheets/en/.
³ Learn about Water. US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/learn-issues/learn-about-water.
⁴ "Genetically Modified Crops." Water For All. Retrieved from http://12.000.scripts.mit.edu/mission2017/genetically-modified-crops/.

SOURCE GMO Answers

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