The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) published the first method-focused assessment of the applied economic literature about the ex ante and ex post impacts of genetically engineered crops in developing countries in 2009.

Agricultural biotechnology has been used to address constraints in agriculture and has the potential to make a major contribution to the overall goal of sustainable intensification. The adoption of agricultural biotechnology, and specifically

Despite the ongoing controversy over their use, genetically modified (GM) crops have progressively grown in popularity and are now planted in approximately 160 million hectares in 29 countries.

Small-scale, resource-poor farmers in developing countries
face daily stresses, including poor soils, drought, and lack
of inputs. Ongoing trends such as climate change and
population growth will likely exacerbate binding stresses. A new
generation of genetically engineered (GE) crop research aims to
alleviate these pressures through the improvement of subsistence

Biotechnology in agriculture has generated a great deal of controversy in recent years. Of the many scientific advances that have occurred in plant breeding since Gregor Mendel conducted his experiments about 150 years ago, crops with genetic modifications seem to have been accorded a unique status.