Selected Biotechnological and Agroecological Strategies for Food Security: A Narrative Review of Their Effectiveness and Socioeconomic Implications

Abstract

Global food insecurity affects more than two billion people, and it is intensified by climate change, population growth, poverty, and conflict. This narrative review examines specific biotechnological and agroecological strategies for improving crop resilience, yield, and nutrition, and considers their socioeconomic implications, especially in the region known as the Global South. Biotechnological approaches, including genetic modification (GM) and genome editing with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9), are reviewed alongside agroecological approaches such as microbiome engineering, biological nitrogen fixation, and biological pathogen control. The review compares the effectiveness and limitations of these approaches, as well as distinguishes the levels of evidence, laboratory, greenhouse, field, commercial, and modeling, on which their claims rest. The evidence reviewed indicates that neither biotechnology nor agroecology alone is sufficient; rather, the integration of the two, supported by equitable policy, public engagement, and education, offers the most plausible pathway toward improved food security. The review also considers the social dimensions of adoption, including public perception, regulatory capacity, affordability, and seed access, and emphasizes that increased crop yield alone is insufficient, since food security also depends on access, utilization, and stability. It also shows that patents, seed costs, and farmers’ local knowledge shape who benefits from these technologies, and that the most effective approach depends on each region’s crops, environment, and resources rather than a single global solution.