Gene editing techniques and agrifood systems
Gene-editing technologies represent a promising new tool for plant and animal breeding in low- and middle-income countries. They enhance precision and efficiency over current breeding methods and could lead to rapid development of improved plant varieties and animal breeds. However, as for any new technology, they have their merits and demerits. There is, as yet, no international consensus regarding if and how gene-edited organisms should be regulated, and whether their release would fall under the regulatory framework of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This event will discuss, from national and regional perspectives, the potential benefits, food safety related issues, and unintended consequences of gene-editing technologies, as well as the barriers to adoption and diffusion, implications for small-scale producers, and ethical, regulatory and policy issues in the context of agrifood systems.
AGENDA
09:00 – 09:05
Brief welcome by the Moderator
Magdalena Skipper
Editor in Chief, Nature
09:05-09:15
Introductory Remarks
Ismahane Elouafi
Chief Scientist, FAO
09:15-09:20
Setting the scene
Sonja Vermeulen
Managing Director, Genetic Innovation, CGIAR
09:20 – 09:25
09:25 – 10:15
Moderated panel discussion
Magdalena Skipper
Editor in Chief, Nature
Hiroshi Ezura
Professor, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
Japan
Ihuoma Okwuonu
Plant biotechnologist, National Root Crops Research Institute
Nigeria
Irene Sacristán Sánchez
Head of Unit E3, Biotechnology, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Rob Bertram
Chief Scientist, USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security
USA
Babafemi Oyewole
CEO, Pan African Farmers’ Organisation
Gabriel Vichera
Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Kheiron Biotech
Argentina
10:15 – 10:35
Q&A Session
Magdalena Skipper
Editor in Chief, Nature
10:35-10:45
Closing remarks
Ismahane Elouafi
Chief Scientist, FAO