b'Gene Editing Technologies: A Scientific Breakthrough in a Benefit to SocietyWE ARE ALL AWAREof the challenges human-ity is facing, with a growing population and natural resources under pressure, together with other reasons, such as climate change, we find ourselves in a delicate situation. Paradoxically, we are living through one of the most exciting times on a scientific level, with important advances that promise great benefits for society in sustainable and safe manners. It is vital that we all make a great effort and do our JUAN KIEKEBUSCH,part, acquiring good habits, managing waste correctly, biotechnology andand consuming conscientiously in order to face these plant breeding inno- challenges and ensure quality of life in the medium and vation coordinator forlong term. the Seed AssociationThis means that in order to ensure the supply of of the Americas.food, feed, fuel and fiber in quality and volume for future generations, we must act in a sustainable way. In other words, we must ensure that production and consumption practices are as environmentally friendly as possible: using less arable land, preventing crop loss, avoiding deforestation, reducing food waste, restoring natural resources and genetic diversity. In this regard, the interaction between human behavior, science and technologies will play a key role in achieving this goal. Within the food and feed requirements of the futurebreeding in general, but specifically plant breed-ingwill be critical to our success as a species. The history of plant breeding has several major advances, in which three milestones can be distinguished: in 1860, the work with different varieties of peas carried out by Gregor Mendel, which gave rise to genetic inheritance laws; in 1930, with the appearance of the first hybrid corn crops; and in 2012, with the development of gene editing and CRISPR-Cas9 in particular. The generation of modern breeding tools, such as gene editing, offer unprecedented opportunities in several respects: - They also allow the inclusion of minor and orphan - They drastically reduce development and produc- crops in a breeding process, crop diversity, diversity of tion time and costs; traits to be improved, exploiting genetic diversity in a - They encourage the "democratization" of biotech- more efficient way, all these facts are to the benefit of nological tools by expanding the number of players.the entire value chain, consumers and society;This factor is already showing important changes in- They will support the adaptation of different crops the composition of technology developers, now fromto climate change, water use and fertilizer efficiency, start-ups to large multinationals, from the private to thejust to mention some of the new applications of new public sector in all type of country economies; breeding techniques (NBTs).22/ SEEDWORLD.COMLATAM'