Gene editing – A tool to tackle climate change and to achieve food security in the Asia Pacific – Dr. Ravi Khetarpal
By 114 Comments on Gene editing – A tool to tackle climate change and to achieve food security in the Asia Pacific – Dr. Ravi Khetarpal

Dr. Ravi Khetarpal, Executive Secretary, Asia Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI)

New Delhi [India], June 17: There are about 688 million people undernourished in the world, of which 351 million – more than half — live in the Asia- Pacific region. Further, there are growing concerns that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic may have undone whatever gains were achieved towards food security in the region. The agriculture sector is facing the most negative consequences of unpredictable and severe climatic conditions; therefore, we need to have innovative and scientific solutions to ensure higher, diseases-free, and nutrient-rich crop production. Asia Pacific region, which is home to 12 out of 46 Least Developed Countries, achieving food and nutrition security is very critical.

The exponential population growth, increasing conflicts, frequent natural calamities, and now major epidemics are going to compound the complexities of global food security in the near future. And the Asia Pacific will be the worst affected due to small farm landholdings. The average size of landholding is just 1 hectare or lower in the region as against the global average of 5.5 hectares. This region occupies one-fourth of the global landmass but houses more than half of the total world population. The Asia Pacific is expected to drive economic growth over the next decade as the region constitutes 40 percent of the global economy, including rising economic powers such as China, Japan, Australia, and India. While there are some economically stable and rich countries in the region, most countries in the region are either developing or underdeveloped, and primarily are dependent on agriculture.

The Asia Pacific faces the additional problem of low crop productivity and inadequate arable land for agricultural expansions. Thus, increasing food production in highly populated areas requires an innovative approach beyond the conventional methods. Farmers are also restricted by the cost of crop inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides as well as possible re-seeding in case of severe weather changes.  Frequent drought and floods are harbingers to climate change, which makes the smallholder farmer in South Asia most vulnerable than any other part of the world. But I am quite confident that innovative techniques like gene editing will provide reliable, speedily implementable solutions to current agricultural challenges.

Gene editing uses a natural process to make genetic changes that could be achieved by conventional means, though in a more precise and quick manner. The precision in targeting the desired location lets the gene-editing technique stand out among other plant breeding methods. Gene editing could lead to sustainable intensification of agriculture, increase nutritional value, and enhances the resilience of crops to climate change. The Asia Pacific accounts for 60 percent of fertilizer sales. Gene editing also supports plants to efficiently utilize soil nitrogen and thus lower the use of nitrogen-fertilizers. Thus, these factors will not just help poor farmers to save money but enable plants to grow to their highest potential and give the best output.

Meeting our food demands without compromising environmental integrity is a big challenge for our sustainable future. In the Asia Pacific, at least 12 countries have started using gene-editing technology. There has been a positive response from many countries as gene-editing techniques are proving to be quite beneficial.  According to market researches, the current value of the gene-editing industry is USD 80 million, which is expected to surpass 2.1 billion figures by 2026. There seems to be huge scope for gene editing techniques in the Asia Pacific in the coming future, for they can protect farming and rural livelihoods by developing high-yielding and climate-proof crops and that too at comparatively low cost.

There has been positive policy support for gene editing in many countries in the Asia Pacific, though many are regulating them as genetically modified (GM) crops. Both Australia and Japan do not regulate gene-edited crops with no DNA insertion in them. Japan already has allowed the sale of gene-edited ‘super tomatoes, which is seen as a big step for gene-editing technology. The Philippines too is in the process of coming up with science-based reasonable guidelines for gene-edited organisms. Many other nations like Indonesia are already developing improved crops using gene editing. Consumer acceptance surveys done in Japan and Korea indicate that consumers prefer gene-edited products, though there is a need to create greater awareness regarding the technology. The Indian government has come up with detailed draft guidelines for the use of gene-editing technology but these are still pending approval. Therefore, India’s leadership role in the region has been compromised in the absence of a specific regulatory framework for gene editing, even though immense investment has been made by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)to support research in the field. Today, consumers are seeking safe and healthy food, which is grown without pesticides and has healthier nutritional value. Gene editing stands to fulfil these demands. There is a need for wider public acceptance and supportive government policies if gene-editing technology is to be used for the greater good of mankind.

APAARIDr. Ravi KhetarpalGene editingPNN

114 Replies to “Gene editing – A tool to tackle climate change and to achieve food security in the Asia Pacific – Dr. Ravi Khetarpal”

  27. Pingback: sex games for kids
  66. Pingback: stresser
  67. Pingback: Buy Guns In usa

  69. Hi, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues.
    When I look at your website in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
    I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, awesome blog!

  70. Hey there just wanted to give you a quick heads up and let you know a few of the pictures aren’t loading correctly.
    I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.
    I’ve tried it in two different internet browsers and both show
    the same outcome.

  71. Hi there! This post could not be written any better! Reading
    this post reminds me of my good old room mate!

    He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this page to him.
    Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for
    sharing!

  72. Wonderful blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News.
    Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News?
    I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there!
    Many thanks

  75. Unquestionably believe that that you said. Your favourite justification seemed to be on the net the easiest thing to keep in mind
    of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed at the same time as folks think about concerns that they plainly do not understand about.
    You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the whole thing with no need side-effects
    , folks could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more.

    Thank you

  76. It’s really very difficult in this active life to listen news on TV, so I just use the web for that purpose, and get the latest
    news.

  77. I’ve been browsing online more than 2 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
    It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view,
    if all site owners and bloggers made good content as you
    did, the internet will be much more useful than ever before.

  80. I’m gone to say to my little brother, that he should also go to see this webpage on regular
    basis to obtain updated from newest news.

  81. It’s great that you are getting thoughts from this post as well as from our discussion made at this place.

  83. What’s up to every body, it’s my first pay a quick visit of this website; this blog consists of
    amazing and genuinely fine information in favor of visitors.

  84. Hey I know this is off topic but I was wondering if you
    knew of any widgets I could add to my blog that automatically tweet my newest twitter updates.

    I’ve been looking for a plug-in like this for quite some time and was hoping
    maybe you would have some experience with something like this.
    Please let me know if you run into anything. I truly enjoy reading your blog and I look forward to your new updates.

  85. Generally I do not learn post on blogs, but I would like to
    say that this write-up very compelled me to
    check out and do it! Your writing style has been amazed me.
    Thanks, very nice article.

  87. Nice blog here! Also your web site loads up very fast!

    What host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to
    your host? I wish my site loaded up as fast as yours lol

  89. Hi, i think that i noticed you visited my
    web site thus i got here to return the desire?.I’m trying to in finding issues to enhance my site!I suppose its good enough to make use of a few of your ideas!!

  90. I always used to read piece of writing in news papers but now as I am a user of net
    therefore from now I am using net for content, thanks to web.

  92. Hi there are using WordPress for your site platform?
    I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started
    and create my own. Do you need any html coding expertise to make your own blog?
    Any help would be really appreciated!

  93. This design is steller! You definitely know how to keep a reader entertained.
    Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Wonderful job.
    I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

  105. I was recommended this blog by my cousin. I am not sure
    whether this post is written by him as no one else know such
    detailed about my difficulty. You’re incredible!
    Thanks!

  106. You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find
    this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand.
    It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I’m looking forward
    for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.