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"If we tried to feed the global population today on the average agricultural yields of the 1960s, we would need to farm over 85 percent of global land, instead of the 35 percent we use currently."
Professor Robert Henry
University of Queensland


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“Figuring out how to feed, clothe and power 11 billion people without causing mass species extinction and wrecking the climate is this century’s greatest challenge."
"Preserving diverse life while meeting humanity’s needs will mean enormous trade-offs, but the evidence is starting to point in one direction."
"Most species fare much better if habitats are left intact, which means reducing the space needed for farming. So areas that are farmed need to be as productive as we can possibly make them.”
Professor Andrew Balmford FRS
Conservation scientist
University of Cambridge
Read full article HERE

must reads
Science for Sustainable Agriculture news
“We must get out more” – Gene editing debate highlights the need for livestock scientists and specifically breeders to talk more openly
Dr Craig Lewis
The Genetic Technology Bill currently before Parliament could unlock the potentially paradigm shifting impacts of gene editing for farmed animals, and would give livestock agriculture the potential to address major challenges of animal health and welfare, reduce antibiotic use, ease management, and improve sustainability, says livestock breeder Dr Craig Lewis. But as Peers prepare to debate proposed changes to the Bill, he warns that outdated and inaccurate perceptions of modern livestock breeding and production could lead to unwarranted regulatory barriers to these advances. In response, he says livestock farmers, scientists and breeders must redouble their efforts to connect, communicate, and explain the positive contribution of genetic innovation to animal health, welfare and the environment.
Precision Breeding Bill: Peers’ GM 2.0 style plans could put genome editing out of reach for smaller breeders
Robin Wood, Elsoms Seeds
Elsoms Seeds is an independent, family-owned UK plant breeding company which recently celebrated its 175th anniversary. Deputy Chairman Robin Wood notes that Brexit dividends have so far been ‘thin on the ground’ for Britain’s plant breeders, and that leaving the EU has meant increased costs, delays, bureaucracy and business uncertainty for the seeds sector while operating in a much smaller market-place. Against this background, he describes the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill as a ‘beacon of hope’ with the potential to boost prospects for UK-based breeding investment and innovation. But as Peers prepare to debate the Bill at Report Stage, he warns that amendments seeking to add GM 2.0 style requirements to the face of the Bill, without scientific justification, could put these promising new technologies out of reach for independent SME breeding companies like his.
Feeding 8 billion people has never been easier
Bill Wirtz
Brussels-based policy analyst Bill Wirtz argues that technological progress and innovation can help us create a world of more abundant food, and that agricultural efficiency will continue to improve insofar as we allow scientists, plant breeders and farmers to fully deploy their knowledge and skill in a way that benefits consumers and the environment alike.
Land sparing policies can deliver biodiversity and climate targets at less cost to food production and at half the cost to taxpayers
Andrew Balmford and Lydia Collas
A study recently published in the journal People and Nature by researchers at the Universities of Cambridge, Leeds and Glasgow is the first of its kind to compare the taxpayer costs of different farm policy approaches to meeting future biodiversity and climate objectives. It concludes that a land sparing approach of focusing some land entirely on food production to allow more space for nature on unfarmed land would be far more cost-effective than prolonging the current land sharing approach of paying farmers to adopt lower-yielding production systems. To achieve the same overall outcomes, sharing will cost twice as much and see loss of 27% more food production, while potentially also increasing environmental damage in food-exporting countries and reducing the space available for wild species that cannot live on farmed land. The study's findings should inform a rethink of the funding and direction of England’s Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMs), argue two of the study’s authors, conservation scientists Andrew Balmford and Lydia Collas.
Precision Breeding Bill could supercharge investment in UK crop innovation
Professor Mario Caccamo
Legislation to be debated by Peers in the House of Lords over the coming weeks could help unlock the UK’s global leadership in plant genetic science, and encourage additional investment in research to help address the most pressing agricultural challenges of today. According to Professor Mario Caccamo, CEO of UK crop science organisation NIAB, precision breeding techniques such as gene editing will help accelerate the development of crops that are higher yielding, more nutritious, more resilient to climate change and less reliant on pesticides or fertilisers. But he warns that attempts to add more layers of scientifically unjustified precaution to the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill could blunt Britain’s gene editing revolution.
UK plant breeders support transparency on precision breeding techniques
Nigel Moore
As members of the House of Lords prepare to debate amendments tabled in advance of the Grand Committee stage of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill, there will be calls on Government to enforce statutory labelling of food and feed produced from precision bred organisms. But such a requirement would not only contradict the underlying rationale for the Bill that precision-bred products could equally have occurred naturally or through conventional breeding, it would also drive up costs to consumers and would, in practice, be unenforceable through testing, writes plant breeder Nigel Moore.
In farmed animals, gene editing could be a game-changer for disease control, animal welfare and the environment
Lord Trees
Veterinarian Professor the Lord Trees explains his support for the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill and its potential to deliver positive outcomes for disease control, animal welfare and environmental impact. And he points out that existing laws governing animal welfare, both in research and in agriculture, if properly enforced, should reassure those who have welfare concerns.
Wringing your hands or getting the ball rolling? Two approaches to decarbonising agriculture
Dr Julian Little
Science communicator Dr Julian Little examines two contrasting approaches taken by leading food businesses to promote more sustainable agriculture and food production – the apparently “unscalable” regenerative agriculture, and sustainable intensification. Which approach is most likely to deliver the necessary increases in global food production while at the same time reducing agriculture’s footprint, delivering net zero and leaving room for nature? And are they in conflict?
ELMS review is an opportunity to put scientific evidence and data at the heart of farm policy
Julian Sturdy MP
It is absolutely right that the Government should be reviewing policies which would set our farming industry on a trajectory towards lower-yielding production systems and even re-wilding of productive farmland.
To deliver the best outcomes for food security, the environment and the climate, Defra Ministers must restore the strategic policy focus on sustainable intensification in UK agriculture, underpinned by science-based metrics, and with a clear focus on genetic innovation as the main driver of agricultural productivity.
Gene editing - three simple questions for ScotGov
Finlay Carson MSP
Speaking in a member’s question debate on gene editing at Holyrood earlier this week, Finlay Carson MSP, convenor of the Rural Affairs Committee, urged ScotGov to introduce simplified rules for experimental research to ensure Scottish research is not left behind. He called on Ministers to acknowledge the positive signals emerging from the EU regarding the benefits of precision breeding for more sustainable, climate resilient agriculture, and the rapid progress towards regulatory reform in Brussels. And he highlighted ScotGov’s own consumer research showing that two in three Scots would be willing to try gene edited foods as a good basis to embrace the potential of a technology with so much promise for Scotland’s world-leading scientific, farming, and food and drink sectors.
The unnatural nature of food (Part 3)
Matt Ridley
In the third part of his investigation into the concept of ‘naturalness’ in food and farming, science writer Matt Ridley discovers more about how human beings have tampered with nature in search of food for a very long time. From breeding improved strains of crops and livestock to the very act of cooking itself, he argues that the more scientific and artificial our food system becomes, the more likely it is to sustain both humankind and the natural environment.
Mandatory labelling of crop biotech-derived foods: the evidence shows this is a failed regulatory policy
Graham Brookes
Proponents of mandatory labelling of foods containing or derived from genetically modified (GM) crops have long claimed that their primary objective is to facilitate informed consumer choice. Based on a review of more than 20 years of evidence in countries or regions where mandatory GM labelling has been implemented, that policy has failed. The main outcomes have been increased food industry costs across the supply chain, higher prices and reduced choice for consumers. In contrast, in cases where labelling is voluntary, consumers and taxpayers have had more food choices with lower costs, writes agricultural economist Graham Brookes.
We must consider the ethical implications of not embracing genome editing in farmed animals
Professor Helen Sang OBE FRSE FRSB
As the bird flu outbreak worsens in the British poultry flock, prompting further housing and biosecurity orders after the virus over-summered in the UK for the first time, it is distressing that animal welfare charities such as the RSPCA are campaigning against the use of genetic technologies, such as genome editing, which offer potential solutions.
And when the Covid pandemic, which has now claimed more than 6 million lives globally, is thought to have originated in animal to human transfer, it is concerning that ethical discussions about the use of genome editing in farmed animals appear to centre more on opposition to livestock agriculture than on the technologies themselves, writes animal geneticist Professor Helen Sang.
ScotGov must adopt a more science-based approach on gene editing
Samantha Brooke
Responding to the recent ScotGov consultation on a future Agriculture Bill for Scotland, Samantha Brooke explains that while plant breeders applaud the document’s explicit focus on the importance of conserving plant genetic resources, Ministers must recognise the value of new breeding technologies, such as gene editing, in unlocking their potential.
Livestock breeding and sustainability
Professor Geoff Simm
Genetic improvement of farm livestock productivity is a key factor in ensuring the availability and affordability of highly nutritious food, increased food security, and improved resource-use efficiency. Improved scientific understanding in recent decades is supporting more sustainable breeding programmes that better balance the emphasis on productivity and animal health and welfare, that address environmental impacts, and promote sustainable use of farm animal genetic resources, writes Professor Geoff Simm, Director of the Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems at the University of Edinburgh.
Are anti-science campaigners trying to mislead over Precision Breeding?
Professor Tina Barsby OBE
MPs and Lords are preparing to debate the remaining stages of the Precision Breeding Bill at Westminster. While a handful of environmental and organic NGOs maintain their opposition to the Bill, the overwhelming weight of scientific evidence supports the safety and value of these advanced breeding techniques. Faced with urgent challenges over food security and climate change, even the European Union is now moving at pace to update its legislation to enable the use of modern breeding methods such as gene editing, writes plant scientist Professor Tina Barsby.
Pro-science think-tank urges Defra to put evidence and data at the heart of farm policy review
To deliver the best outcomes for food security, the environment and the climate, Science for Sustainable Agriculture is urging Defra Ministers to restore the strategic policy focus on sustainable intensification in UK agriculture, underpinned by science-based metrics, and with a clear focus on genetic innovation as the main driver of agricultural productivity.
The unnatural nature of food (Part 2)
Matt Ridley
Science writer Matt Ridley continues to explore the concept of ‘naturalness’ in food and farming, arguing that our obsession with food being natural is getting in the way of our food being plentiful, affordable, healthy and good for nature. He suggests that the more concentrated and productive we make our farming systems, the better it is for nature by using less land, less water and fewer natural resources.
We must look to scientific innovation in agriculture to deliver Net Zero
Julian Sturdy MP
Launching an APPG inquiry into the technologies, innovations and practices which can help Britain's farmers deliver on the UK's net zero commitments, Julian Sturdy MP argues that action on climate change must look to science and innovation rather than arbitrary targets or restrictions on economic activity.
Innovation can support the goals of regenerative agriculture – but are technologies like gene editing in or out?
Professor Johnathan Napier
Genetic technologies can help deliver the objectives of regenerative agriculture, says UK plant scientist Professor Johnathan Napier. But will they be allowed to, he asks.
Feeding a growing global population - new ways tech is changing the agricultural landscape
Reuters, February 2023
Feeding a growing global population - new ways tech is changing the agricultural landscape (msn.com)
Q&A: Will the UK’s new farm payments cut emissions and help nature?
Carbon Brief, February 2023
Q&A: Will the UK’s new farm payments cut emissions and help nature? - Carbon Brief
The Next ESG Frontier Is Genetically Modified Food
Chris Hughes, Bloomberg UK, February 2023
Genetically Modified Food Is the Next ESG Frontier After Energy and Defense - Bloomberg
Agricultural innovation vital for climate-threatened food security and sustainability
European Scientist, February 2023
Genetic food technologies – time to re-open the debate
Anna Campbell, Otago Daily Times,. February 2023
Genetic food technologies — time to reopen the debate | Otago Daily Times Online News
Copying nature to resist viruses
INRAE, January 2023
Copying nature to resist viruses | INRAE INSTIT
How to feed a nation: the miracle of the modern food supply
Kite and Key Media, January 2023
A Revolution in Agricultural Productivity (kiteandkeymedia.com)
Farm Babe: The societal hypocrisy of pesticides
Michelle Miller, AgDaily, January 2023
Farm Babe: The societal hypocrisy of pesticides | AGDAILY
“Neonicotinoids: the beet industry hit in the heart ”
Gil Rivière Wekstein, European Scientist, January 2023
Germany's organic farmers are in despair
Oliver Piepe, Deutche Welle, January 2023
Germany's organic farmers are in despair – DW – 01/20/2023
Plant protection of the future may come from the plants themselves
Phys.Org, January 2023
Plant protection of the future may come from the plants themselves (phys.org)
How CRISPR is making farmed animals bigger, stronger, and healthier
Jessica Hamzelou, MIT Technology Review, January 2023
How CRISPR is making farmed animals bigger, stronger, and healthier | MIT Technology Review
A ‘New Green Revolution’ is brewing — just in time, as the world population breaks past the 8 billion mark
Gurjeet Singh Mann, Genetic Literacy Project, January 2023
Opinion: The potential of breakthrough crop technologies for Africa
Joe Cornelius, Agri-Pulse, January 2023
Science says GMO foods are safe
Michael Simpson, Skeptical Raptor, January 2023
Science says GMO foods are safe (skepticalraptor.com)
Organic foods — are they safer and healthier?
Michael Simpson, Skeptical Raptor, January 2023
Organic foods — are they safer and healthier? (skepticalraptor.com)
Opinion: Food security supports our national security
Kip Tom, Agri-Pulse, January 2023
Opinion: Food security supports our national security | Agri-Pulse Communications, Inc.
Scaling Up Gene-Edited Food
Sonia Jassi, Scientist Live, January 2023
Scaling Up Gene-Edited Food | Scientist Live
Food security in a climate crisis must start with seeds
Michael Keller, Devex, January 2023
Opinion: Food security in a climate crisis must start with seeds | Devex
Can Science Finally Create a Decent Cup of Decaf?
Casey Rentz, Slate, January 2023
Can genetic engineering create a decent cup of decaf coffee? (slate.com)
The U.S. Must Learn From Sri Lanka's 'Green' Policy Mistakes
Chandre Dharma-wardana, Real Clear Markets, January 2023
The U.S. Must Learn From Sri Lanka's 'Green' Policy Mistakes | RealClearMarkets
EU green vision stopping market access for developing nations
Scottish Farmer, January 2023
EU green vision stopping market access for developing nations | The Scottish Farmer
How digital solutions can help solve global food problems
Shin Sang-Hoon, World Economic Forum, January 2023
Food solutions for a sustainable tomorrow
New Food Magazine, January 2023
Food solutions for a sustainable tomorrow (newfoodmagazine.com)
Scientists push for GMO seeds as pests threaten crops
The New Times, January 2023
Scientists push for GMO seeds as pests threaten crops - The New Times
Less Air Pollution Has Meant More Fertilizer In Farming
Hank Campbell, Science 2.0, January 2023
Less Air Pollution Has Meant More Fertilizer In Farming | Science 2.0 (science20.com)
2022 Biotech Milestones in Review
Zabrina J. Bugnosen, ISAAA. January 2022
2022 Biotech Milestones in Review | Science Speaks - ISAAA.org
The Future of Food—CRISPR Crops That Capture Carbon
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, January 2023
The Future of Food—CRISPR Crops That Capture Carbon (genengnews.com)
The Future of the Purple GM Tomato Lies with Consumers
Seed World, January 2023
The Future of the Purple GM Tomato Lies with Consumers - Seed World
Knowledge Transfer is Foundational to Resilient Agriculture
Rosalie Ellasus, Global Farmer Network, January 2023
Knowledge Transfer is Foundational to Resilient Agriculture – Global Farmer Network
‘Holy grail’ wheat gene discovery could feed our overheated world
Robin McKie, The Observer, January 2023
‘Holy grail’ wheat gene discovery could feed our overheated world | Climate crisis | The Guardian
Turning plants into biological factories
Alex Dook, Particle, January 2023
Turning plants into biological factories – Earth News | Particle (scitech.org.au)
Yes, the EU should allow for the use of NGTs in plants
The Parliament Magazine, January 2023
Yes, the EU should allow for the use of NGTs in plants (theparliamentmagazine.eu)
The UK’s dream of becoming a ‘science superpower’
Financial Times, January 2023
The UK’s dream of becoming a ‘science superpower’ | Financial Times (ft.com)
Conserving water is essential to feeding the world
David Green, Open Access Government, January 2023
Conserving water is essential to feeding the world (openaccessgovernment.org)
Compared to Europe, the American farm system is more efficient and sustainable
Bill Wirtz, The Hill, January 2023
Compared to Europe, the American farm system is more efficient and sustainable | The Hill
2022 Delivered a Tectonic Shift in Perceptions of Agricultural Biotech
Val Giddings, ITIF, December 2022
2022 Delivered a Tectonic Shift in Perceptions of Agricultural Biotech | ITIF
Futuristic fields: Europe's farm industry on cusp of robot revolution
Phys.Org, December 2022
Futuristic fields: Europe's farm industry on cusp of robot revolution (phys.org)
Farming innovations are lost on many of us
Owen Roberts, Observer Xtra, December 2022
Farming innovations are lost on many of us (observerxtra.com)
Vertical Farming Has Found Its Fatal Flaw
Matt Reynolds, Wired, December 2022
Vertical Farming Has Found Its Fatal Flaw | WIRED
100 years of data shows modern wheat varieties are a productivity and biodiversity win-win
University of Minnesota, December 2022
CRISPR in Agriculture: 2022 in Review
Nicholas Karavolias, IGI, December 2022
CRISPR in Agriculture: 2022 in Review - Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI)
Feeding 8 Billion People Has Never Been Easier
Bill Wirtz, Discourse Magazine, December 2022
Feeding 8 Billion People Has Never Been Easier - Discourse (discoursemagazine.com)
International rice body to seek approval for Golden Rice use in India
New Indian Express, December 2022
International rice body to seek approval for Golden Rice use in India- The New Indian Express
Europe Should 'Go Back to Science' & Allow GMOs
Marco Aurelio Pasti, No-Till Farmer, December 2022
Italian No-Tiller: Europe Should 'Go Back to Science' & Allow GMOs (no-tillfarmer.com)
Summits do matter, but innovation is the key to a greener planet
Eamonn Ives, CapX, December 2022
Summits do matter, but innovation is the key to a greener planet - CapX
Tanzania will ‘play a key role in GMO science despite the propaganda’
Richard Wetaya, Alliance for Science, December 2022
Tanzania will 'play a key role in GMO science despite the propaganda' - Alliance for Science
Improved seeds allow farmers to produce more without additional land and inputs
Michael Keller, European Scientist, December 2022
Why the EU must relax rules on GMO to help us reduce pesticide use
P J Phelan, Farming Independent, December 2022
PJ Phelan: Why the EU must relax rules on GMO to help us reduce pesticide use - Farming Independent
Science-based Agriculture Technology Can Reduce the Harmful Impacts of Drought
Marco Aurelio Pasti, Global Farmer Network, December 2022
Marco Aurelio Pasti – Global Farmer Network
Will CRISPR Crops Avoid the GMO Curse?
Natalie Burdsall & Robert Paarlberg, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, December 2022
Will CRISPR Crops Avoid the GMO Curse? | Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Brazil greenlights first gene-edited, drought-resistant soybean
Valor International, December 2022
Don’t Make Regulation of Gene-Edited Microbes Precautionary
Emma Kovak, The Breakthrough Institute, December 2022
Don’t Make Regulation of Gene-Edited Microbes Precautionary (thebreakthrough.org)
Eminent vet Lord Trees backs gene editing for healthy livestock
Professor Lord Trees, The Scottish Farmer, December 2022
Eminent vet Lord Trees backs gene editing for healthy livestock | The Scottish Farmer
The future of farming: from eating insects to urban agriculture
Louise Loxley, University of Cambridge, December 2022
The future of farming: from eating insects to urban agriculture (cam.ac.uk)
Science lets us grow more with less, putting us closer to ending hunger
Ismahane Elouafi, The Parliament Magazine, December 2022
Science lets us grow more with less, putting us closer to ending hunger (theparliamentmagazine.eu)
The big idea: has organic food passed its sell-by date?
Julian Baggini, The Guardian, December 2022
The big idea: has organic food passed its sell-by date? | Science and nature books | The Guardian
The GM crops technology
Iqrar Ahmad Khan, The News on Sunday, December 2022
The GM crops technology | Political Economy | thenews.com.pk
Rejecting ag technology can be costly
Stuart Smyth & Robert Paarlberg, The Western Producer, December 2022
Rejecting ag technology can be costly | The Western Producer
Will EU open door to GM crops in 2023? Opposition is waning
Resource Online - WUR, December 2022
Will EU open door to GM crops in 2023? - Resource online (resource-online.nl)
Why genetically-modified crops may be about to have their day
The Telegraph, December 2022
Why genetically-modified crops may be about to have their day (telegraph.co.uk)
Pesticides: a situation very much under control
Alex Waugh, British Baker, November 2022
Pesticides: a situation very much under control | Opinion | British Baker (bakeryinfo.co.uk)
The scientific breakthrough that promises to end egg shortages
The Telegraph, November 2022
UK egg shortage: How genetically edited chickens resistant to bird flu could crack the problem (telegraph.co.uk)
As Africa faces climate change and farming disruptions, biotechnology-driven innovation offers hope. Why is it not more widely adopted?
Uchechi Moses, Genetic Literacy Project, November 2022
Thinking Over Sustainability
Cesar Gonzalez, European Seed, November 2022
Thinking Over Sustainability (european-seed.com)
This Thanksgiving highlights the need for agriculture innovation
Ponsi Trivisvavet, The Hill, November 2022
This Thanksgiving highlights the need for agriculture innovation | The Hill
The world’s largest food companies have gone backwards on net zero
David Burrows, Just Food, November 2022
The world’s largest food companies have gone backwards on net zero (just-food.com)
How to rescue biofuels from a sustainable dead end
Peter Fairley, Nature, November 2022
How to rescue biofuels from a sustainable dead end (nature.com)
Can we trust agriculture to make itself more sustainable?
Alex Smith, The Breakthrough Institute, November 2022
Can We Trust Agriculture to Make Itself… | The Breakthrough Institute
Government decisions that needlessly extend food insecurity
Stuart Smyth, SAI Food, November 2022
Government Decisions That Needlessly Extend Food Insecurity - SAIFood
Farmer protests in Europe challenge misguided restrictions on biology innovation
Bill Wirtz, Genetic Literacy Project, November 2022
Numbers don't lie: Harsh realities that forced Kenya to go GMO way
The Standard, 22 November 2022
Gene editing: regulate the ‘product’ not the ‘process’
Andy Doyle, Irish Farmers Journal, 21 November 2022
Gene editing: regulate the ‘product’ not the ‘process’ 21 November 2022 Free (farmersjournal.ie)
Is regenerative agriculture the future of farming or the next greenwashing fad?
Adele Peters, Fast Company, November 2022
What is regenerative agriculture and is it legitimate? (fastcompany.com)
Bill Gates Says Every Piece Of Bread He's Ever Eaten Is From 'Genetically-Modified Wheat': Why He's Rooting For GMOs
Benzinga, November 2022
Intended and unintended consequences of genetically modified crops – myth, fact and/or manageable outcomes?
John R Caradus, NZ Journal of Agricultural Research, November 2022
A thriving future: Trends in agricultural innovation
Michael Robertson, CSIRO, November 2022
A thriving future: Trends in agricultural innovation – ECOS (csiro.au)
A Biotech Revolution Could Fix Farming's Role in Climate Change
Juergen Eckhardt, Barron’s, November 2022
A Biotech Revolution Could Fix Farming's Role in Climate Change | Barron's (barrons.com)
Modern humans have evolved on a diet high in animal foods for four million years
Beef Central, November 2022
Modern humans have evolved on a diet high in animal foods for four million years - Beef Central
New Zealand targets cow burps to help reduce global warming
ABC News, November 2022
New Zealand targets cow burps to help reduce global warming - ABC News (go.com)
'Groupthink' is leading farming up a blind alley
Richard Wright, The Scottish Farmer, November 2022
'Groupthink' is leading farming up a blind alley | The Scottish Farmer
How to make corn more like cactus
Kurt Kleiner, Knowable Magazine, November 2022
How to make corn more like cactus (knowablemagazine.org)
Replace animal farms with micro-organism tanks, say campaigners
The Guardian, November 2022
Replace animal farms with micro-organism tanks, say campaigners | Food | The Guardian