The dramatic increase in population accompanied by rapid industrialization in developing countries including China has caused imbalances in the supply of food and energy. To cope with these global crises over food and energy supplies as well as environmental problems, it is urgently required to develop industrial GM crops to be grown in marginal lands including desertification and polluted lands for sustainable agriculture. Recently we developed several tansgenic crops such as sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas L. Lam), potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) expressing genes of both Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase in the chloroplasts under the control of an oxidative stress-inducible peroxidase (SWPA2) promoter (referred to SSA plants). SSA plants showed a strong tolerance to oxidative stress caused bythe application of methyl viologen (MV, paraquat), a ROS-generating non-selective herbicide. SSA sweetpotato plants showed higher tolerance to chilling stress than non-transgenic (NT) plants, whereas SSA potato plants showed higher tolerance to high temperature. SSA sweetpotato plants showed a strong tolerance to the application of sulfur dioxide (500 ppb) compared to NT plants. Enhanced tolerance of transgenic crops expressing NDP kinase 2 in cytosols under SWPA2 promoter (SN plants) to environmental stress will be introduced. In addition, the strategies for sustainable agriculture in marginal areas will be discussed

• Sang-Soo Kwak(Environmental Biotechnology Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB))