In a few weeks, the commitments made at the United Nations Food System Summit in New York will help determine whether we can feed the world while mitigating climate change.
World leaders will come together to meet the most pressing challenge of our time: how to feed the fast-growing global population in a safe and sustainable manner.
To lay the foundation for this landmark event, scientists, government ministers, environmental advocates and farmers recently gathered for a preparatory summit in Rome. There, the head of the U.S. delegation-Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Jules Browno-talked about the multilateral priorities of “leading with science and innovation.”
We fully agree with this vision. There are nearly 8 billion people to feed, and only the deployment of all our agricultural tools can solve the problem. Cutting-edge scientific methods such as gene editing have enabled researchers to develop resilient crops that can adapt to environmental pressures and ensure a more sustainable food supply tailored to the cultural preferences and needs of the local population.
However, we can only change the food system when farmers all over the world have widespread access to the benefits of scientific progress. Now, this is far from guaranteed. Policy makers participating in the upcoming summit have a responsibility to remove barriers to their use.
Approximately 10% of the world’s population (up to 811 million people) are undernourished; up to 161 million more than last year. The cost of nutritious food, coupled with persistently high income inequality, prevents approximately 3 billion people from accessing a healthy diet.
There is an urgent need to change our food system, which is both a driver and a victim of climate change, and is intertwined with land degradation, deforestation, biodiversity loss and resource depletion.According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, these threats to our planet’s life support systems have contributed to infectious diseases, poor health and economic inequality.
Fortunately, science has the ability to catalyze systemic changes. New plant breeding innovations can play a central role in increasing food production and making it more nutritious, profitable and environmentally friendly to farmers. They may even protect-or enhance-our natural resources.
Some of today’s technologies improve long-standing methods, such as traditional cross breeding-in which plant pollen is manually moved within and between species. Others use scientific breakthroughs such as gene editing-a tool that acts as a molecular word processor to make targeted changes to the DNA of crops.
Our organization CGIAR uses these advances in plant science to help small farmers grow more hardy, higher-yielding crops. Think of the scientist at one of our research centers: the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. By editing some genes, they can create disease-resistant rice varieties—an essential staple that accounts for one-third of the total food intake in Southeast Asian countries—despite the increasing impact of climate on food production. Can thrive.
At the same time, scientists at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa are deploying gene editing to develop disease-resistant cassava, a widely consumed, calorie-rich root vegetable. At Cairo University, a team is studying drought-tolerant wheat. At Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, scientists are developing a mustard plant for healthier consumption. Elsewhere, gene-edited crops are underway, they carry more nutrients, stay fresh for longer, and require significantly less water.
Projects like this can help ensure the world’s food supply if the intended beneficiaries, farmers and seed producers have access to the resulting varieties and agricultural systems.
The eve of the Rome Summit provides a way to advance this inclusive goal by September. In three days, participants proposed game-changing strategies to build a resilient, inclusive and sustainable food system.
Facts have proved that removing obstacles to scientific interests, including innovative plant breeding, is the top priority in these strategies. Of course, some farmers, producers and communities are more willing to use traditional farming systems or grow traditional varieties, and we sincerely respect this.
However, because they have the potential to promote economic growth and reduce hunger and malnutrition, it is unfair to prevent those who wish to adopt them from obtaining gene-edited crops. Especially for small-scale agricultural communities, earning a living will increasingly depend on obtaining high-yield crops that are better able to withstand drought and disease.
National leaders participating in the upcoming global forum in New York have pledged to build a more sustainable, fair and healthier food system. This means working to create an environment that enables countries to adopt tools that can sustainably meet the different preferences and needs of their people-ensuring that no one is left behind.
The UN Food System Summit provides an opportunity to transform goals into actionable changes by incorporating pioneering innovations into global efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition.
We can’t let it slip through our fingertips.
Neal Gutterson is a member of the CGIAR System Committee. Barbara Wells is the Global Director of CGIAR Genetic Innovation.
