Renowned agriculture scientist M.S. Swaminathan said on Friday that making a hunger and malnutrition-free society should be the ultimate goal of every agricultural scientist and stakeholder.
Next-generation genomics backed by strong technological advancements will facilitate science-based agricultural innovations such as development of nutrition-rich crops to eradicate hunger.
He was addressing the concluding session of the Fifth International Conference on Next Generation Genomics and Integrated Breeding for Crop Improvement (NGGIBCI-V) held at the International Crops Research for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).
Over 300 delegates representing private and public sectors from 30 countries worldwide participated and deliberated on future collaborations and ways to integrate next-generation genomics into the future of crop improvement to contribute to global food and nutrition security.
Genomics – or deciphering the genomic content of crop species using high-throughput and next-generation approaches – allows the scientific community access to ‘good genes’ to speed up breeding for superior crop varieties with agronomically important traits.
“It is not so much a question of more food. It is more a question of better food,” opined Dr. Howard-Yana Shapiro, Chief Agricultural Officer, MARS Inc. USA, while talking on genomics interventions to ensure food and nutritional security in developing countries.
Read full, original article: ‘Next-generation genomics key to global food security’
