A guide to communicating globally
Welcome to the Plant Breeding Innovation Resource Hub
Here, you will find relevant information and materials to guide your discussions about plant breeding innovation and its benefits globally. These files are designed for use in both print and digital formats. Each section of this Resource Hub houses PDF materials as well as editable design files.
In many cases, small edits can be made directly into PDF files. However, heavier changes or those that require a major rework will need to be made by a creative professional within the design files provided. The design files are labeled as “AI” throughout the Resource Hub.
What is Plant
Breeding Innovation?
For centuries, farmers have used the best available science to improve upon and create new crop varieties. Today, transformational plant breeding innovations rely on advanced tools, techniques and methods that plant breeders and researchers use to more precisely and quickly improve crops.
Techniques, such as gene editing, allow farmers to speed up the natural process of adapting plants to meet ever-changing agricultural needs. These changes enable farmers to produce healthier, more nutritious and tastier crops.
The Impact of Your Voice
As a farmer, you are a trusted voice among industry peers around the world. This Resource Hub is designed to help you have informed dialogue with farmers, breeders, first-line customers, policy makers and government leaders within strategic import markets.
We invite you to share the resource materials with those who are open to learning more about gene editing and the ways in which it can improve plant production within their respective countries. In doing so, you can be instrumental in supporting the U.S. agricultural industry as it works to:
Encourage increased exports of gene edited crops
Maintain appropriate, and avoid burdensome, regulations on gene edited crops
Stimulate an environment of information sharing among countries for gene editing research
Gene Editing: The Basics
Gene editing relies on nature’s own tools: a plant’s DNA. Breeders can make precise “edits” to a plant’s genetic makeup, enabling farmers to produce healthier, more nutritious and tastier crops. They’re able to do so using less water and land, while producing higher yields in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
For more information on gene editing to help you stay informed when discussing this innovation with your industry peers around the world, click on the fact sheets below.
Resource Library
Websites
- American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), Betterseed.org
- ASTA, FAQs
- Best Food Facts, Gene Editing
- CommonGround, Plant Breeding
- G+FLAS Life Sciences, Inc., Non-GMO Plant Transformation
- Genetic Literacy Project, Gene Editing/CRISPR
- Innovature, Our Food
- International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Colombia and CIAT: Committed to Sustainable Development
- International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), an international nonprofit located in Mexico
Videos
- ASTA, Plant Breeding Innovation
- ASTA, Saving the Orange
- CommonGround, Plant Breeding with farmer and mother of four, Sara Ross
Background
- ASTA, Milestones in Plant Breeding
- The Center for Food Integrity, Gene Editing: Engage in the Conversation toolkit
- Innovature, 101 on Gene Editing in Food and Agriculture
- Innovature, How CRISPR Can Improve Seed Development
- National Association of Plant Breeders, What is Plant Breeding?
Benefits
- ASTA, Plant Breeders’ Response to Global Challenges
- Food and Agriculture Organization, Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building
News Articles
- Foreign Affairs, Gene Editing for Good: How CRISPR Could Transform Global Development
- National Geographic, Why Gene Editing Is the Next Food Revolution
- National Geographic, How China Plans to Feed 1.4 Billion Growing Appetites
Crop Examples
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Researchers Stop Wheat Disease with Gene Editing
- Chinese Academy of Sciences, CRISPR-edited Rice Plants Produce Major Boost in Grain Yield
- CIAT, Symposium: Genome Editing – Changing Agricultural Research in Latin America
- Cornell Alliance for Science, Top 15 Advances on FM Crops and gene editing in Latin America during 2017
- ISAAA, Safer Potatoes Developed Using CRISPR-Cas9
- The Rice Journal, CRISPR/Cas9 — Enhanced Resistance to Xoo Bacterial Blight
Harnessing the Power of Gene Editing Globally
As you communicate with your industry peers around the world, understanding the individual perspectives of varying countries will enhance your discussions.
The materials below provide in-depth details on gene editing in several countries. For each nation, there is a fact sheet describing gene editing benefits that reflect country-specific needs. There are also presentation slide decks that tell the story in a visually appealing way, pulling together information from throughout this resource hub. These materials can be extended to other countries with similar agribusiness conditions and needs as well.
Downloadable and Editable Files
Contact
For more information or to gain a better understanding of how you can use this resource hub, please fill out the form below.