Current biotechnology industry can be broken down into three areas: agriculture, medical and chemicals, and the one area Toyota is now focusing on is agricultural biotechnology.

The reasons why Toyota has decided to focus on this particular area are:

1. An increase in world population, mainly in Asia
2. An increase in the amount of food consumption per person due to a rise in the income level
3. A decrease in farm and forest areas due to industrialization and urbanization, and food and water shortages due to an increase in water consumption and worsening of the global environment.

In order to contribute to the mitigation of such problems and to establish a profitable business, Toyota established the Biotechnology and Afforestation Business Department and began research and development in January 1998. And in May 1999, the Toyota Biotechnology and Afforestation Laboratory was established to layout the framework for research and development in the agricultural biotechnology field and to speed up Toyota's biotechnology business.

The environmental problem is one of the biggest obstacles any company must deal with, but Toyota is positively undertaking this challenge as an opportunity to achieve further growth and is aiming to balance environmental protection and economic growth by developing technologies, including biotechnology and afforestation.