Innovation — potential to gain

Jason Clay, Senior Vice President, Market Transformation, World Wildlife Fund, said we must freeze the footprint of agriculture. To produce more food and retain the wildlife of the world, we cannot ignore any means for raising productivity, including genetics and rehabilitating abandoned or degraded land.

André Faaij, Professor of Energy System Analysis, Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, noted it is important to act now; lead times to achieve change are long. Good land management, efficient agriculture and second generation biofuels can deliver enough food and bio-energy.

Robert Berendes, Global Head of Business Development, Syngenta International AG, said although genetic modification is an important technology, it is not the only and ultimate solution to growing more food. If we agree on using the complete range of technologies, we can double production, progressing at 2% per year.

Graham Plastow, Director Alberta Bovine Genomics Program, University of Alberta, said yields from animal production have increased substantially, mainly through classical breeding. Genomics — the study of genes and their function — can accelerate progress and increase productivity by more than 50%. We can improve traits that contribute to overall health and welfare, food safety and food quality, even environmental impact.

Leo den Hartog, Director R&D and Quality Affairs, Nutreco, stated the production of food from livestock can be increased substantially by raising the quality of farming to high levels everywhere and by gaining optimum productivity from a combination of breeding and feeding technologies. With full system control and farm automation, these techniques will lead to Sustainable Precision Livestock Farming. Nutreco is developing sustainable feed solutions to fit with this approach to livestock farming.

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