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 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84OCTOBER 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM / 15 resources for new sources of heat and drought tolerance. “Cereal production is increasing worldwide but current rates of yield growth are not sufficient to satisfy future demand, even without climate change factored in, so we have to expect the worst to avoid the risk of widespread famine.” Reynolds is working with wheat physiologist Gemma Molero to develop high yield potential, heat and drought resistant plant ideotypes. Molero has designed a tool to assess wheat spike photosynthesis and its impact on grain filling, until now an over- looked aspect of how yields can be increased. She is working with Bayer Crop Science to identify new possibilities for wheat breeding. Global demand for cereals is expected to reach 3 billion tons by 2050, an increase of 940 million tons from yields produced between 2005 and 2007, with the greatest demand coming from developing countries. The demand shift will lead to signifi- cant price increases of more than 50 percent for maize and 25 to 50 percent for other crops even without climate change. If cli- mate change is factored into the equation prices could increase 60 to 97 percent by 2050. Although controversial, genetically modified (GM) crops con- stitute one option for increasing yields and have not been proven to be dangerous to eat, says Matin Qaim, professor of interna- tional food economics and rural development at the University of Gottingen in Germany, during a presentation. In the develop- ing world, they help farmers to gain yields 20 percent higher than conventionally bred crops and earn almost 70 percent more income, according to Qaim. “Farmers in developing countries benefit more from geneti- cally modified crops than farmers elsewhere because they suffer more from pests and diseases,” Qaim says. “They also benefit more because most GM technologies are not patented, which means the seeds are cheaper than in developed countries.” Neal Gutterson, vice president of research and development at DuPont Pioneer and a member of CIMMYT’s board of trus- tees, described the aims of a new collaboration the company has agreed with CIMMYT to develop crops capable of fighting dev- astating Maize Lethal Necrosis disease in Africa using CRISPR- Cas, an approach that allows precise “editing” of genes. “CRISPR-Cas advanced plant breeding technology is a more efficient and targeted plant-breeding technology,” Gutterson says. “It enables the development of customized agriculture solutions to the real challenges farmers around the world face in growing healthy plants.” Jose Falck-Zepeda, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute, says that while innovative tech- nology is vital, success will be attained by tackling development initiatives from a broad “whole systems” approach. Currently, science in the food system is built around narrow principles and objectives, he says. Focusing on gender and other equity issues are the starting point for technological change. CIMMYT’s Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) project serves as an example of the whole systems approach, says Denis Kyetere, executive director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation. Through WEMA, maize varieties are being developed using conventional breeding and biotechnol- ogy by CIMMYT, Monsanto and national research programs in Africa. Seed from the program will ultimately be marketed royalty- free to smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa through African seed companies, making the benefits of the technology available to everyone, Kyetere says, adding that public-private partnerships are key. A new, knowledge-based global food system focused on ensuring equity is a must, he says. “The use of the public-private-partnership model in tech- nology development and deployment along the entire prod- uct value chain is a game-changer in enhancing food security and for poverty reduction in Africa,” Kyetere says, adding that partners must share both responsibilities and risks to achieve a common goal. Julie Miller Jones, professor emeritus of nutrition at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, criticized authors and media personalities advocating wheat-free diets for the major- ity of population who do not suffer from celiac disease or wheat allergies. She also emphasized the essential role of grains in a healthy diet, and the health benefits of whole grain in particular. “We have to stop picking on diets, the problem is us. We are eating too many calories,” she urged delegates. Going “gluten-free” has become a big money maker for the food industry. Sales have soared 63 percent since 2012, with almost 4,600 “gluten-free” products introduced in 2014, accord- ing to the January 2015 issue of Consumer Reports magazine. Catherine Bertini, 2003 World Food Prize laureate and former head of the U.N. World Food Programme, strongly advocated that nutrition should be given a leading role in the breeding process. “Let food be medicine,” says Bertini, who is currently a professor at Syracuse University. Farmer Andrés H. Vinicio Montiel Ibarra, leader of a farmers association who works Mexico’s Sustainable Modernization of Traditional Agriculture (MasAgro) project, received the Cargill- CIMMYT Food Security and Sustainability Award on behalf of the association. “Agricultural producers have to be change-makers,” Montiel Ibarra says. “We need to break with resistance to change.” Achieving change requires effective communication, includ- ing coverage of complex scientific concepts, but fact-based arguments are seldom enough, says Tamar Haspel, a food col- umnist for the Washington Post newspaper. “We seek sources of information that share our values and confirm our views,” Haspel says. “We find innovative ways to reject ‘facts’ we disagree with — if facts are not persuasive, how do we communicate about science?” SW “We seek sources of information that share our values and confirm our views. We find innovative ways to reject ‘facts’ we disagree with — if facts are not persuasive, how do we communicate about science?” —Tamar Haspel