WHY IT MATTERS
As AI, CRISPR, genomic prediction and speed breeding begin to converge, Wageningen University & Research’s Richard Harrison sees a faster and more accessible era of plant breeding taking shape. For Europe’s seed sector, the opportunity is not only to develop crops faster, but to decide who gets access to innovation, which crops deserve investment and what kind of farming systems Europe wants to build.
Biotechnology Moves from Promise to Practice
Biotechnology is often described as a technology of the future. For Richard Harrison, managing director of plant sciences at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), that future is arriving much faster than many people in agriculture realise.
Harrison, who will speak at F&A Next, sees a powerful convergence taking place. Advances in molecular biology, artificial intelligence, gene editing, genome sequencing, phenotyping and data driven breeding are no longer developing in isolation. They are beginning to reinforce each other. For the seed sector, that combination could change not only how quickly new varieties are developed, but also who can participate in plant breeding innovation.
The timing is important. Europe is moving closer to a new regulatory framework for plants developed through New Genomic Techniques (NGTs). For breeders, the key point is that certain precision-bred plants, particularly those with genetic changes that could also have occurred naturally or through conventional breeding, may no longer fall under the current strict rules for genetic modification. That distinction matters enormously for companies deciding where to invest, which traits to pursue and how to build future breeding pipelines.
“At the moment, the policy tailwind is pointing the same way as the science,” Harrison says.
A Strategic Moment for European Breeding
For Europe’s seed sector, that tailwind could not come at a more strategic moment. Climate change, disease pressure, input reduction, biodiversity goals and geopolitical uncertainty are all putting pressure on agriculture. Breeders are being asked to deliver varieties that are more resilient, more resource efficient and better adapted to local systems, while also navigating regulation, intellectual property, market acceptance and rising research costs.
Harrison argues that the future will not be one single farming model. Instead, he sees room for a diversity of systems, adapted to regions, crops and local economies. But he also believes all systems will need more diversity: more diverse rotations, more resilient landscapes, better support for soil health, pollinators and natural pest control, and a broader crop portfolio.
The 20th century was largely about efficiency, simplification and scale. The next phase, he suggests, will have to combine productivity with biological resilience. That is where biotechnology may become especially relevant. Not as a standalone solution, but as part of a broader toolbox for plant breeding and agricultural transition.
Faster Tools, Shorter Timelines
One of the most important shifts is speed. In the past, developing a new crop or bringing an underused species into commercial production could take many decades. Today, with genome sequencing, high throughput phenotyping, speed breeding and genomic prediction, that timeline can potentially be reduced dramatically.
Harrison points to orphan crops as a striking example. There are thousands of edible plant species, yet only a small number provide most of humanity’s food. Modern breeding tools could help bring some of that neglected diversity into the field and onto the market.
A Wageningen example is Aardaia, a start-up working on aardaker (Lathyrus tuberosus), a historically used European tuber crop from the legume family. Unlike potato, aardaker is protein rich, and because it is a legume it can fix nitrogen. That makes it an intriguing crop at the intersection of alternative protein, soil health and crop diversification.
For breeders and investors, the significance is not only the crop itself, but the model. Modern tools may make it commercially realistic to domesticate and improve crops that would previously have been considered too slow or too risky.
Access May Become the Real Differentiator
The same acceleration is happening in gene editing. Harrison highlights CRISPR4ALL, a Wageningen linked initiative developing ThermoCas9 as a more accessible gene editing tool. The ambition is important: advanced breeding technologies should not be available only to the largest players.
That point will resonate strongly across the European seed sector. New technologies can drive competitiveness, but only if access is workable. The discussion around NGTs is therefore not only about safety or regulation. It is also about patents, licensing, transparency and whether innovation remains open enough for a diverse breeding landscape.
If licensing models become more affordable and transparent, smaller companies and public private initiatives may also be able to use these tools. That could matter greatly for Europe, where seed innovation depends not only on global companies, but also on specialised breeders, regional expertise and crop specific knowledge.
AI Adds Another Layer of Acceleration
Harrison also sees AI as a major accelerator. Freely accessible tools such as AlphaFold show what becomes possible when decades of molecular knowledge are combined with powerful prediction models. In plant science, this could help researchers understand proteins, resistance genes and biological interactions much faster than before.
For disease resistance breeding, such insights could become highly valuable, especially as pathogens evolve and existing resistance genes break down. If researchers can better predict why resistance fails, they may also be able to identify ways to restore or strengthen it.
This does not remove the need for field knowledge, breeding expertise or practical validation. But it does change the speed at which promising routes can be identified. For breeders, that could mean better decisions earlier in the pipeline.
Technology is Not the Final Destination
Yet Harrison is careful not to present technology as the final destination. The deeper question, he says, is what kind of food and farming system society wants. Biotechnology can help produce food, fuel and bio-based materials. It can help Europe build a stronger bioeconomy and maintain strategic relevance. But not every “green” option is automatically sustainable, and not every technological possibility is socially desirable.
For the seed sector, that is perhaps the most important message. The tools are becoming faster, cheaper and more precise. The regulatory landscape is moving. Investors are beginning to see shorter timelines. Start ups are exploring new crops. But the choices made now will shape who benefits, which crops are developed, which traits are prioritised and how open the innovation system remains.
The opportunity, Harrison suggests, is to invest and debate at the same time. Europe should not pause innovation while waiting for a perfect societal consensus. But neither should it treat technology as an end in itself.
“The technology is not the finish line,” he says. “The real finish line is the conversation we still need to have about what kind of food system we want.”
Editors’ note: This article is based on and adapted from the Wageningen University & Research interview “How biotechnology is bringing new futures, fast”, published on 7 May 2026, featuring Richard Harrison, Managing Director Plant Sciences at WUR.
