Harnessing Gene Editing for Sustainable Ag: A Personal Opinion

The future of farming has often hinged on our ability to adapt. To the weather, to the markets, to unexpected breakdowns mid-harvest... Modern agriculture is undergoing many adaptations. Some are legislative, others are environmental.  

Farmers are increasingly being asked to grow high-yielding, high-spec grain for the food chain, using fewer & fewer inputs on the same amount of land.  
 
Raising the question; how can we farm more sustainably whilst feeding an increasing population?  

Traditional plant breeding methods haven’t evolved much since the early 1900’s and could fail to meet new needs as new challenges arise, such as producing traits which help crops survive increasingly regular extreme weather events.  
 
Genetic plant breeding, however, is an avenue which has re-opened and could change the direction of travel for British farming.  
 
The 2023 Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding Act) has positioned the UK at the forefront of arable crop gene editing, with the first GMO wheat trials being harvested this summer (2024).  
 
Due to my PhD in Plant Science and studies of gene editing techniques, I’d say gene edited crops are the solution to many modern challenges. 
 
In this blog I’m going to share why I believe gene editing could help forge a sustainable future for agriculture, and why it’s crucial to harness this technology mindfully for the benefit of farmers and consumers, alongside the environment.  

Time for Action.  

The Green Revolution was characterised by buoyant production in the post-war years, in part fuelled by the introduction of new, higher yielding crop varieties. Bred to meet the pressing needs of the day (increasing production) these new varieties suited intensive farming systems.  
 
Fast forward 60 years - yields have plateaued, and needs have changed. Traditionally bred varieties lack many of the traits necessary to transition to more sustainable farming methods, such as deep root systems and enhanced nutrient uptake associated with Mycorrhizal fungi.  
 
As we move beyond the ‘Yield is King’ mantra in the quest for more efficient and environmentally friendly practices, farmers will be left with outdated legacy varieties that are unsuited to meeting new challenges and newer farming techniques. 
 
Traditional breeding methods are also slow. It takes years to move a variety from pre-basic to C3, and that’s only after years of painstaking glasshouse breeding where desirable traits are fostered.  

Consequences of Inaction.  

Prof Giles Oldroyd, Director of the Crop Science Centre at Cambridge University, said at Groundswell 2024 “we’ve had a complete blind spot in our plant breeding for the past 100 years.”  

He emphasised that the prevailing high-input system creates varieties dependant on artificial inputs, perpetuating a cycle of high chemical spend on farms. Without faster and more precise breeding methods, this will only continue.   

We risk prolonging the challenges facing agriculture today, of which the constant battle between disease pressure and chemical spend is just one. I’d also include the extra costs of inefficient fertiliser application/uptake and post-harvest losses as challenges resolvable through gene editing. 

Treading Carefully 

However, there are justified fears that gene editing could be misused. Agroecological farmer George Young says “If we’re not careful, gene editing will help fix our broken cropping system and enable our poor food system to continue.”  
 
George’s opinion is that gene editing should be focused on improving human health, creating better quality grain for the food chain, and not just better crops for the soil & farming systems.  

Indeed, the micronutrient content of grain has decreased since The Green Revolution, leading to ‘hidden hunger’ amongst communities heavily dependent on grain as a food source.  

I agree it would seem remiss to genetically modify crops without a focus on the quality of its outcome as healthy food, thereby benefiting both the environment and the consumer. 

Harnessing Gene Editing for Sustainable Agriculture 

It’s clear to me that we should continue down the path made available by gene editing technology to rapidly improve varieties available to farmers.  

Improving traits like disease resistance, nutrient uptake and grain quality at the greenhouse empowers growers with the ability to farm in the more sustainable ways that consumers are increasingly demanding, whilst potentially producing healthier food more reliably. 
 
Farmers could benefit from impacts like lower input spends, herbicide tolerance and drought resistance...  

Imagine a wheat crop genetically modified to be totally resistant to Septoria – how much spend and litres of fungicide would this save?  

Conclusion 

Gene editing presents an opportunity to revolutionise crop development and make farming more resilient to present and future challenges. By embracing this technology, I believe we can create a healthier planet and a better food system.  
 
As the regulatory landscape changes, we must advocate for the responsible use of gene editing to ensure it meets its potential to serve the greater good.