Harnessing Modern Biotechnological Tools for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security: A Review of Genomic, Microbial and Cellular Approaches

Feeding a global population expected to reach nearly ten billion by 2050 while maintaining soil, water and biodiversity and adapting to a changing climate is one of the key challenges of modern agriculture. Traditional high-input farming has increased output but at tremendous environmental and natural resource costs, making the move toward sustainable, resource-efficient systems an absolute priority. Biotechnology today offers broad based tools for assisting this transition by increasing productivity lessening the dependency on traditional agricultural chemicals. This report presents a synthesis of recent advances (2020-2026) across the full range of contemporary technologies available for modern agriculture: genomic and breeding technologies, such as reference genomes, pangenomes, super-pangenomes, molecular marker-assisted selection, genomic selection, speed breeding, doubled haploid technology, synthetic apomixis, facilitate the fast and precise development of high-yielding stress-tolerant biofortified crop varieties (Naqvi et al., 2022; Tay Fernandez et al. , 2022; Qu et al., 2024). The opportunity to edit DNA without transgenes (foreign DNA) or to produce higher-quality or more nutritious foods by using tools like the base editing system, prime editing system, multiplex editing, and epigenetic (i.e., gene regulation) editing (Tian et al., 2025; Kumar et al., 2022) is made possible through the use of genome-editing technologies. Using RNA interference (RNAi) by utilizing an RNAi spray application method and nanocarrier technology provides farmers with viable options for producing crops with less application than chemical pesticides (Chen et al., 2025; Qiao et al., 2023). The large amount of genomic data generated using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and high-throughput phenomic analysis provides methods for moving from these data to predictive data-based breeding pathway models (Eftekhari et al., 2024; Cheng and Wang, 2024). In addition, probably the most eco-friendly solutions to improve soil fertility and manage pests in an environmentally sustainable manner are through the use of microbial (bacteria and fungi) inoculants and plant-growth-promoting rhizobacteria (Shahwar et al., 2023; Alzate Zuluaga et al., 2024), as well as the use of tissue culture/plant cell culture methods for rapidly and continuously propagating pest- and disease-resistant elite germplasm (Hamdan et al., 2023; Duta-Cornescu et al., 2023). The integration of all of these technologies will create resilient, productive, and environmentally sustainable food production systems; however, the potential benefits should be balanced with responsible regulations, biosafety, and equitable access to agricultural resources for smallholder farmers (Wang et al., 2025; Raza et al., 2025). Thus, the intended position of biotechnology in the sustainable food production and food security movement is as a key enabler, and not as a singular solution.