Which Countries Grew the Most GM Crops in 2011?

The area used to grow genetically modified crops keeps growing, fueled by rapid increases in developing nations.

Mike Orcuttarchive page

February 9, 2012

Farmers around the world used 160 million hectares to grow biotech crops in 2011–12 million more than in 2010–according to a new report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), a government and industry funded group that promotes the use of biotechnology in agriculture.

Around two thirds of that growth occurred in developing nations, which in 2011 held around half of the total land used to grow genetically modified crops. Among these nations, Brazil led the way with 30.3 million hectares of maize, soybeans, and cotton. The United States maintained the overall lead, with 69 million hectares devoted to eight different crops.

The Guardian created this handy visualization based on the data, which was released earlier this week. It shows total hectares by country, and the specific genetically modified crops grown in each country.

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