The Center for Food Integrity Blog
One of the biggest challenges historically to introducing technology in food and agriculture has been a lack of “felt need” by society – a belief that we have what we need, and new technology in food production offers little societal benefit.

For decades, the U.S. has enjoyed an abundance of safe, affordable food. Shelves were full and supply chains were reliable. While farmers embrace technology to produce food more efficiently and sustainably, innovation has been viewed by the public as more of a “nice to have” than a necessity. Something that benefits farmers but is of little relevance to consumers.

But our food supply is facing unprecedented pressure. And for the first time since World War II, food security is once again national security. We’re seeing a confluence of events threatening consistent access to food with greater challenges ahead, including skyrocketing fuel and food prices and fertilizer shortages, all worsened by the continued war in Ukraine, weather extremes and the continued ripple effects of a global pandemic.

There’s a growing sense of urgency by an increasingly anxious public that feels helpless as they watch events unfold and fear for the future. From producers and food suppliers to manufacturers and consumers, there’s a stark recognition that we need new tools to effectively address these challenges.

With the world’s population predicted to grow to almost 10 billion by 2050, the effects of global food insecurity will only increase. We need solutions and we need them now.

The Promise of Gene Editing
That’s where gene editing comes in. It’s one of today’s most promising innovations, with tremendous potential to benefit society, farming and food production by making precise changes in the genome of plants, microbes and animals. Through a simple edit that turns a gene on or off, gene editing can make plants more resilient to climate change, animals resistant to disease and illness and microbes that help plants capture nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Not only is it being used to address human diseases and conditions like cancer, sickle cell and COVID-19, the technology can help farmers keep pace with the growing demand for healthier, more abundant and affordable food, while using less water, land and other resources.

In addition to the benefits listed above, gene editing has the potential to improve nutrition and the safety and quality of food, and reduce food waste.

The United Nations Food Systems Summit’s Scientific Group recognized gene editing as a key tool that can help transform global food systems to end hunger by 2030.