CHAPTER TEN

Bio-innovations

Genome-Edited Crops for Climate-Smart Food Systems

José Falck Zepeda, Patricia Biermayr-Jenzano, Maria Mercedes Roca, Ediner Fuentes-Campos, and Enoch Mutebi Kikulwe

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Recent innovations in genome-editing allow researchers to rapidly develop climate-resilient crops suitable for small farmers in low- and middle-income countries

KEY FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS

New genome-editing (GEd) technologies, including CRISPR-based tools designed to edit genes, will play a critical role in addressing climate change adaptation and mitigation in agriculture. GEd allows researchers to rapidly develop climate-resilient and climate-adaptable crop varieties tailored to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Pursuing pragmatic approaches that enable convergence of GEd applications with ecologically and environmentally sustainable production systems is a prudent and valuable approach.
Public and private sectors in LMICs both have a role to play in developing GEd products to address climate change but will need a robust enabling environment to support this development.
Functional and streamlined regulatory frameworks are an important component of any robust enabling environment to create and support incentives for product development and deployment. Lessons learned from earlier technologies will be critical to successfully advancing GEd products through the process of approval, transfer, and adoption.

Transparency across GEd research and development (R&D), regulation, and deployment will be essential to ensure social “buy-in” from a broad range of stakeholders. Achieving buy-in will require more comprehensive assessment methods to build evidence on GEd tools, as well as the prioritization of strategic communication and outreach.
Start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can help drive the democratization of GEd in LMICs, as they have been more agile in implementing GEd R&D processes. Partnerships that enable technology transfers or even generate spin-offs or SMEs are a promising strategy to rapidly deliver new climate-resilient applications for LMICs.
GEd crops can help small farmers — including women and youth farmers, indigenous people, and other vulnerable groups — to increase farm productivity and adapt to climate change. Understanding the needs and preferences of farmers, including gendered needs, for different crop traits, delivery methods, and extension services is essential to the successful development and deployment of GEd products.

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