In Washington, D.C., a new blueprint produced by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, “Science Breakthroughs 2030,” lays out how research can transform the fields of agriculture and food production. Drawn from an extensive process that incorporated the voices of 146 scientists in dozens of fields, the report highlights potential breakthroughs that need to be prioritized in five critical initiatives of agricultural research – microbiomes, gene editing, data analysis, sensors and biosensors, and transdisciplinary collaborations.
The report indicates that we are not on target to address some of the most pressing issues in the field – limitations on water resources, market instability, sustainability, soil degradation, changing climates and growing seasons, as well as evolving pests and pathogens in the crops and on the food.
“Agriculture is confronting a crisis no less epic than the dustbowl of the 1930s,” said Thomas Grumbly, the President of the Supporters of Agricultural Research Foundation.