Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 4436 Exploring ideas and views on all aspects of the seed industry. CANADA WILL CELEBRATE WITH ITS FIRST AG DAY Feb. 16, 2017, will be Canada’s Agriculture Day. This day is a time to celebrate and draw a closer connection between Canadians, their food and the people who produce it. The announce- ment, made on the final day of the Canadian Centre for Food Integrity’s Public Trust Summit in Ottawa, Ont., marks the first time the industry has dedicated a day to celebrating agriculture and the people in the industry. “We all eat food yet many people don’t automatically make the connection between what’s on their plate and the commitment and care that goes into raising livestock, growing crops or processing food,” says Crystal Mackay, CEO of Farm and Food Care Canada. G20 MINISTERS FOCUS ON AGRICULTURE In June, agriculture ministers from the world’s 20 major economies convened in China for the 2016 G20 Agriculture Ministers Meeting to discuss global agricultural development and coop- eration. The G20 ministers were joined by ministers from guest countries, and leaders of inter- national organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. The 2016 meeting, the third since the G20 was established, revolved around the theme “Agricultural Innovation and Sustainable Development.” From the meeting, the ministers reported: “We affirm that agriculture and rural development are crucial to global food secu- rity and poverty alleviation and can contribute significantly toward inclusive economic growth, social stability and the sustainable use of natural resources.” The ministers agree that the opening of agricultural markets and trade could improve access to more affordable food. Additionally, science, technology and social innovation should play a leading role. The meeting supported the expansion of agricultural investment in developing countries and regions, and encouraged the private sector and other stakeholders to continue the dia- logue to advance agricultural investment, and improve the level of organization and competi- tiveness of smallholders in the context of agricultural openness to elevate their position and role in the global value chain. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. national organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations World Food Program and International Fund for Agricultural Development. CAN PLANT BREEDERS CREATE AN ALLERGEN FREE NUT? A team of researchers, including scientists from the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) decoded the genome of the ancestor of peanut, the diploid A-genome (Arachis duranensis). This breakthrough opens the doors toward developing allergen-free, aflatoxin-free and nutrition-rich varieties. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, include the draft genome of the groundnut A-genome progenitor containing 50,324 protein-coding gene models. Analysis of the complete DNA sequencing suggests that the peanut lineage was affected by at least three sets of chromosomes since the origin of flowering plants. The findings also provide mil- lions of structural variations that can be used as genetic markers for the development of peanut varieties with improved traits such as increased pod and oil yield, drought and heat tolerance and greater disease resist- ance through genomics-assisted breeding. “This study has not just provided the full genome sequence to help plant breeders across the globe to develop more productive and more resilient groundnut varieties in a faster manner, but also provides us insight to geocarpy — a reproductive process where the flow- ers grown on the stem go inside the soil and pod forma- tions occur,” says Rajeev Varshney, co-coordinator of the Genome Sequencing Project and research program direc- tor of the Genetic Gains program at ICRISAT.