Enabling Genome Editing for Enhanced Agricultural Sustainability

Abstract

Agricultural sustainability encompasses environmental, social, and economic aspects, all of which are continually shifting due changing environmental pressures and societal expectations. A range of strategies are required to address these challenges, and these include the use of innovation and adoption of the best available practices and technologies. Advances in biotechnologies, including genome editing, and their application in plant breeding and research are expected to provide a range of benefits that contribute to all aspects of agricultural sustainability. However, adoption of these technologies needs to be supported by proportionate, coherent, forward-looking, and adaptable policies and regulatory approaches. In this Perspective, we reflect on the regulatory challenges associated with commercialising a transgenic crop, and developments thus far in providing regulatory clarity for genome edited crops. We aim to demonstrate that much remains to be done to shift towards a more proportionate and enabling approach before the potential benefits of genome edited crops can be realised. The implications of precautionary and disproportionate regulation are also discussed.

Keywords: agricultural sustainability; biotech crops; biotech regulation; crop improvement; genome editing; plant breeding.

FIGURE 1

World map showing the top five producers of transgenic crops and their major trading partners, compiled by CropLife International based on 2018 data (source: https://croplife.org/news/global-agriculture-a-trade-map/). More information for each of the top five countries is available at the CropLife International website. Approval was obtained from CropLife International to use the image in Figure 1.