EUROPEAN-SEED.COM I EUROPEAN SEED I 59 where farmers of a crop are reliant on varieties from other coun- tries or the CGIAR. ES: WHICH TYPE OF VARIETY CHARACTERISTICS (YIELD, DISEASE RESISTANCE, STRESS TOLERANCE, NUTRITIONAL TRAITS, OTHERS?) DO YOU CONSIDER OF MOST VALUE FOR THE COMING DECADES? MQ: While there are particular regional-level trends, such as average temperature rises or new disease pat- terns, that threaten the food security of large numbers of people in the coming decades, at the national level, breeding challenges are particular to crops or livestock and the environ- ments that they are grown in. We need to focus on improving the ability of breeding programs to develop and deliver varieties with the characteristics required by farmers and consumers in a rapidly-changing environment. ES: BREEDING GAINS OF AROUND 1% PER YEAR HAVE BEEN STANDARD FOR MANY CROPS. HOWEVER, TO BE ABLE TO FEED THE WORLD POPULATION OF CLOSE TO 10 BILLION, WE WILL NEED HIGHER YIELD GAINS THAN THAT. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO THAT EFFECT WITHIN THE PLATFORM? MQ: At a global level, it is thought that we need to improve the yields achieved by farmers at a rate of 1.25 per cent per year until 2050. This was explained in the article: ‘Crop yields and food security: will yield increases continue to feed the world?’ in their breeding programs. It is likely that private service pro- viders will begin to offer CRISPR applications at an affordable cost in the future; however, making effective use of new tools is a knowledge-intensive affair. Many companies exist that offer affordable genotyping services, for example, but users need sup- port to choose the right services for their purpose and to make use of that information in practical breeding applications. This knowledge gap is one of the key obstacles to technology adop- tion that the Platform will address, and the same will apply to emerging high-potential technologies such as CRISPR. ES: AMONG THE USERS OF THE PLATFORM YOU ALSO MENTION THE PRIVATE SEED SECTOR. HOW COULD THEY BENEFIT FROM YOUR WORK ON THE PLATFORM? MQ: In addition to national agricultural research systems, the intended users of the Platform include seed and livestock com- panies in the developing world. Currently, because of the low returns on investment in research and development, even larger companies in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa are marketing obsolete varieties or are wholly reliant on national research systems or the CGIAR. Improving the ability of national and CGIAR research programs to deliver improved rates of genetic gain will therefore be of direct benefit to the private seed sector. Furthermore, by reducing the knowledge barrier and risks of conducting R&D, we may even see more of these companies getting involved in research as a result of Platform activities. ES: MANY PRIVATE SECTOR BREEDING COMPANIES MAKE LITTLE TO NO INVESTMENTS IN SOME OF THE SMALLER CROPS THAT ARE GROWN IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. HOW COULD SUCH COMPANIES BE ENCOURAGED TO START MAKING SUCH INVESTMENTS? MQ: As mentioned, we estimate that only five per cent of private investment in breeding goes towards the developing world. As a consequence of our goal to develop common metrics of breeding program performance, the Platform aims to improve strategies and identify areas where investment is needed. Consequently, we expect to see increased levels of investment in breeding, and return on investment, among our members. With more transpar- ent information about breeding efforts in the developing world, together with efforts to develop a greater culture of variety turnover among seed companies and farmers, the environment should be more favourable for the international private sector to increase their levels of investment and collaboration. ES: HOW CAN THE PRIVATE SEED SECTOR HELP WITH YOUR EFFORTS, E.G. WITH CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT, OR INFLUX OF HIGH QUALITY GERMPLASM? MQ: The involvement of the private seed sector is crucial to achieving the goals of the Platform. Breeding for the developing world may be dominated by national systems and the CGIAR, but improved germplasm and advanced technologies are developed through a symbiotic and mutually-beneficial relationship between the public and private sector. The Platform seeks to draw on all available tools and knowledge created through that collaboration, increase access to private breeding services, and provide access to expert advice and training from all potential sources. Editor’s Note: This article has been condensed for print. To read the full version, go to European-Seed.com http://excellenceinbreeding.org/ In some areas of the developed world, the yields achieved by farmers of major staples are close to the maximum can be achieved with the best varieties, and it is becoming increasingly hard to find genetic improvements, even if new technologies offer many potential solutions. Better agronomy and access to resources are crucial to clos- ing these gaps, but so are improved varieties. We estimate that just 5 per cent of private sector investment in breeding research goes towards the developing world, meaning that farmers there don’t have access to modern varieties that are adapted to their needs. The CGIAR and national breeding programs do an amaz- ing job of responding to these needs, but, as mentioned they often don’t have the scale to implement changes or technologies than, for example, the private sector might. The Excellence in Breeding Platform is a recognition that this challenge is also an important opportunity to deliver much higher rates of farm productivity for future generations. One of the key goals of the Platform is to develop a stand- ard means of assessing breeding program performance, meas- uring the rate of genetic gain achieved, not only in trials and the laboratory, but also in farmers’ fields. By ensuring that this information is created and shared transparently in developing world breeding programs, we aim to create new standards of excellence to ultimately increase yield gains in the field. We are also developing a membership agreement through which breed- ing programs that wish to collaborate closely with us will agree to adopt certain improvements and levels of investment, leading the way for others. ES: ACCORDING TO YOUR PROPOSAL YOU PLAN ON USING AND DEVELOPING NEW TOOLS TO FACILITATE THE BREEDING. HAVE THE SO-CALLED NEW BREEDING TECHNIQUES SUCH AS CRISPR ALSO FOUND A PLACE IN YOUR PROGRAM? MQ: The criteria for tools to be shared on the Platform are: whether they are in-demand by our users, accessible freely or at an affordable cost, and whether it is feasible to adopt them www.regional.org.au/au/asa/2012/agriculture/7936_fischerra.htm