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Perspective: New plant breeding technologies for food security

Image: Виталий Смолыгин, Structure of DNA, Public Domain Pictures, CC0 Public Domain
Image: Виталий Смолыгин, Structure of DNA, Public Domain Pictures, CC0 Public Domain

This perspective piece argues that new plant breeding technologies such as CRISPR-Cas could contribute to global food security and poverty reduction by increasing agricultural yields and smallholder incomes. The authors note that careful regulation, field testing and communication will be necessary for successful implementation, along with royalty-free access for smallholders.

Reference

Zaidi, S.S.E.A., Vanderschuren, H., Qaim, M., Mahfouz, M.M., Kohli, A., Mansoor, S. and Tester, M., 2019. New plant breeding technologies for food security. Science, 363(6434), pp.1390-1391.

Read the full paper here. See also the Foodsource resource building block What is sustainable intensification? and the FCRN blog post Genome editing technique: CRISPR-Cas9 and its role in agriculture.

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