Dive Summary:

• In a new report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA), developing nations planted 52% of all biotech or GMO crops last year, the first time in history.
• Last year, 170 million hectares were planted with biotech seeds, up 100 fold from 1996's 1.7 million hectares.
• These crops have gained a following in the developing world not for their abundance of fruit, but for the fact that they need less water, less pesticides and overall less fuel to produce. 

From the article:

The report says that use of biotech crops has gained acceptance in the developing world due not only to increased yields but decreased fuel requirements and pesticide use. Additional benefits include higher quality products and shorter growing cycles. ...