Feed the future | Curtis J. Pozniak | TEDxUniversityofSaskatchewan | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Plant breeding plays a crucial role in ensuring food security for a growing population, as it helps develop sustainable crop varieties that can adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Key Insights

• 😋 Food is a universal connector that brings people and cultures together.
• 😋 The world population is expected to grow by 2 billion people in the next 25 years, increasing the demand for food.
• 😋 Plant breeding is a systematic process that develops crop varieties to produce more food with fewer resources.
• 😮 Rising global temperatures, heatwaves, droughts, diseases, and pests pose challenges to crop productivity.
• 🎙️ Genetic diversity is crucial for developing resilient and adaptable crop varieties.
• 👶 New technologies, such as computational tools and gene editing, are revolutionizing plant breeding.
• 🛰️ Digital phenotyping and artificial intelligence are used to accelerate the development of climate-smart crop varieties.

Transcript

[Applause] well thank you for that kind introduction so today let's embark on a fascinating journey through something that touches every single aspect of Our Lives the food that we eat we all understand its importance it's the fuel for our bodies the nourishment of our minds and it's really the Cornerstone of our overall well-being but to me food i... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the growing world population pose a challenge for food production?

With an estimated increase of 2 billion people by 2086, there will be a higher demand for safe and nutritious food, particularly in developing countries where access to food is already a challenge.

Q: What factors contribute to reduced crop productivity?

Rising global temperatures, increasing heatwaves, frequent droughts, evolving diseases, and insect pests all negatively impact crop productivity and pose significant challenges to food production systems.

Q: How does plant breeding contribute to sustainable agriculture?

Plant breeding develops crop varieties that can adapt to different climates, resist diseases and pests, and produce safe and nutritious food. This helps ensure the sustainability of agriculture in the face of increasing demand and limited resources.

Q: What role does genetic diversity play in plant breeding?

Genetic diversity is essential for progress in plant breeding programs. Loss of genetic diversity over time has been a concern, but wild plant species, which are genetically related to cultivated crops, provide new sources of diversity to enhance crop resilience and productivity.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Food is not just sustenance, but a universal connector that brings together different cultures and traditions.

• The world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion people in the next 25 years, posing a significant challenge for food production and security.

• Plant breeding is a systematic process that uses genetic principles to develop and improve crop varieties, with the aim of producing more with fewer resources.