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AGRICULTURE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
The genetic revolution can support food security,

tackle the climate crisis and protect biodiversity

Breakthroughs,in,genetic,science,have, that have shaped the story of agrifood sys-
brought,the,world,to,“the,dawn,of,a,new, tems over time.
era”,and,can,propel,solutions,to,a,spec9
trum, of, inter9related, global, challenges, FAO’s experts have produced important
including, assuring, food, security,, tack9 contributions to the connections between
ling,the,climate,crisis,and,protecting,bio9 gene editing and food safety and on agri-
diversity,, QU, Dongyu,, Director9General, food systems more broadly.
of,the,Food,and,Agriculture,Organization,
of,the,United,Nations,(FAOI),,said,today, Qu emphasized that the Science and In-
at,the,Borlaug,International,Dialogue,of, novation Forum, one of the three pillars of
the,World,Food,Prize,2024,opening,cer9 than cross-breeding, mutation breeding the World Food Forum that FAO hosts each
emony.,
and transgenesis methods, said the FAO Di- year at its headquarters in Rome, was set up
“The genetic revolution goes beyond in- rector-General, who studied plant breeding precisely for Members and partners to dis-
creasing yields,” Qu said, noting how today and genetics and made important contribu- cuss the bene#ts and risks of cutting-edge
it can be applied in tailored ways to improve tions to understanding the potato genome. technologies.
plant and animal resistance to pests, diseas- Gene or genome editing is a term en-
es and environmental stressors including compassing various molecular biology It is crucial that the bene#ts be shared
high temperatures, droughts, !oods, soil techniques. The advent of clustered regu- widely and equitably. It is also essential that
salinity and more. larly interspaced short palindromic repeats, Members invest in human and social capital
These advancements could also known as CRISPR, spurred a rapid increase needed to make optimal leverage of new
“bring people and cultures closer to- in gene editing research and applications. technology, he added.
gether,” he added in his keynote speech, CRISPR is faster and less expensive than
world-food-prize-2024-norman-e.-bor- more conventional ways of crossbreeding, The new World Food Prize winners have a
laug-international-dialogue-keynote- opening up new horizons for environmen- long history of engagement with FAO.
address--from-genetics-to-the-genera- tally-adaptive and nutrition-sensitive crops Geo"rey Hawtin, one of the awardees,
tion--what-does-the-future-hold-for-agri- and livestock that can protect genetic bio- played key roles in the negotiation of the
food-systems-and-food-culture/en"From diversity and contribute to building resil-
Genetics to the Generation: What Does the ient agrifood systems. International Treaty on Plant Genetic Re-
Future Hold for Agrifood Systems and Food FAO’s Director-General emphasized that sources for Food and Agriculture, which is
Culture. gene editing can be a boon to the preserva- hosted by FAO, as well as the creation of the
The annual prize, in honor of Norman tion and enhancement of the unique traits Svalbard Global Seed Vault.
Borlaug, considered one of the fathers of of local and indigenous foods, keeping Cary Fowler, currently the U.S. Special
the Green Revolution that lifted hundreds open a “window to our own humanity”, and Envoy for Global Food Security, led the In-
of millions of people out of hunger thanks become “a bridge between the past and the ternational Conference and Programme on
to his work on higher-yielding wheat variet- future, connecting food cultures and foster-
ies, was awarded this year to Geo"rey Haw- ing shared resilience in the face of global Plant Genetic Resources at FAO in the 1990s
tin and Cary Fowler, in recognition of their challenges.” and was the chief author of FAO’s Global
extraordinary contribution in preserving For this reason, the FAO Food and Agricul- Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources.
and protecting the world’s heritage of crop ture Museum and Network, to be launched
biodiversity, especially in operating and in 2025 at FAO Headquarters in Rome to Along with Qu’s keynote address, the cere-
funding crop gene banks all over the planet. mark the 80th anniversary of the founding mony featured a panel discussion on achieving
of the Food and Agriculture Organization of a hunger-free world in which Ajay Banga, Presi-
Gene editing dent of the World Bank Group, and Akinwumi
the United Nations, will bridge global food
Gene editing technology signi#cantly ac- technologies and cultures, showcasing the Adesina, President of the African Development
celerates breeding processes , acting faster rich traditions and innovative approaches Bank, both participated. Circle 14 on enquiry card
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