Georg Jander, a professor at the Boyce Thompson Institute, spoke to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry about the importance of supporting and funding emerging agricultural technologies. In his presentation titled “The Next Agricultural Revolution: Targeted Gene Editing Using CRISPR,” Jander emphasized the transformative impact of CRISPR technologies in agriculture.
Jander explained that CRISPR has the potential to revolutionize agriculture by enabling precise editing of plant genes, something previously not possible. With CRISPR, farmers can modify crop genes to enhance desirable traits, suppress negative ones, or introduce novel characteristics from different species. This has immense promise for enhancing food security, agricultural sustainability, and crop durability.
Joining Jander were Dan Jenkins from Pairwise and Emily Negrin from Inari, who shared insights into how their companies are using CRISPR gene editing to improve crops. They believe that these emerging technologies have the potential to significantly improve the agricultural industry and help address challenges such as food security and sustainability.
To ensure widespread adoption and integration into farming practices, Jander and his colleagues are calling on policymakers to support and fund these emerging technologies. They believe that by investing in these cutting-edge technologies, we can create a more sustainable and resilient food system for future generations.
