b'GIANT VIEWSIMPROVING VARIETY DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY REQUIRES A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVEANY COUNTRY THAT wants to help feed the world and beThe benefits to society of vari-competitive on the global stage needs to empower itsety development/plant breeding are farmers by putting variety development and delivery atmany. According to the report Returns the forefront of its agricultural strategy.from Private Sector Seed Research Farmers want to ensure better yields, economic stabil- from Iowa State University, society ity of their farm, and make farming easier and less labour/ (mainly farmers) reaps 75% of the input intensive. They do this through the use of improvedtotal benefits. Farmers get a $6 benefit varieties. Better varieties also open up new markets forfor each $1 spent on private sector those farmers, bolstering the export potential of whatresearch.they produce. In the European Union, for every Of course, to do any of this, farmers need access1 invested in plant breeding, 40 in to high-quality seed and suitable new plant varieties.added value is delivered across the Marcel Bruins Enabling this access is key to ensuring food security andwider economy. This statistic, from is a consultant whoeconomic development, including in developing countries.the British Society of Plant Breeders received a plantAccording to Oxfam, over 80 million people currentlyreport Economic Impact of Plant breeding educationdo not have enough to eat. Around nine million people dieBreeding, takes into account higher from Wageningenevery year of hunger and hunger related diseases. Thats 11yields and input savings at the farm University in thedeaths per minute. This is more than the number of deathslevel.Netherlands andfrom AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. We have a growing world popula-is editorial directorSo, whats needed to ensure farmers have access totion that in about 30 years time will for European Seednew varieties that meet market demands? A regulatorybe close to 10 billion people. At the magazine.framework that encourages the development of innovativeend of the century, well over 11 bil-varieties and the production of and delivery of high-qual- lion people will need to have nutri-ity seed of suitable varieties to farmers. tious and safe food. Over 800 million Sounds simple, but is anything but. Crafting such apeople around the world are under-regulatory system that enables plant breeding innova- nourished right now. tion requires a global perspective that takes a number ofOn the other side of the bell things into account.curve, 640 million people are clas-Modern regulatory frameworks must consider howsified as obese. Nearly two billion indispensable plant breeding is. people on the planet are overweight. They must enable breeding and reduce barriers toIn terms of food losses and food innovation, encourage breeders to team up with farm- waste, the United Nations estimates ers in the development of new varieties, and take intothat were losing around a third of all account that regulatory change is inevitable, therebythe food that is produced for human allowing the easy updating of said regulations with mini- consumption.mal red tape. Plant breeding can help mitigate However, the modernization of regulatory systemsall these challenges. More than ever, requires the public to be on board. To facilitate this,we need modern regulatory frame-industry must reach out to ensure it strengthen its rela- works that put plant breeding and tionships with those who use its products. Consumer edu- new varieties at the forefront and cation is important in order to build trust in new varieties.enable breeders to work with as few Traceability systems are crucial in helping do this. Theconstraints as possible. Creating those seed sector and farmers must partner up to increase farm- frameworks requires all of us to think ers capacity to use seeds in effective ways. globally. 48GERMINATION.CAMARCH 2022'