In a previous article, I mentioned that a few years ago I gathered my staff together and asked them what they would like to boast about five years from now, and they told me they wanted to be able to say that we helped end world hunger. I took that to heart.
I truly believe that agriculture is the world’s most important industry. And yes, I realize everyone says the same thing about their sector, but what puts agriculture at the top of the list is the simple fact that we feed the world and through our efforts can end starvation on a global scale. I can’t think of a better industry to be in.
Feeding the world starts with us. At Agronomix, we go to work every day with the goal of helping our clients ensure that every single person on this planet, regardless of where they are located around the globe, has access to nutritious food that’s produced sustainably, benefiting both the environment and future generations.
I’m also keenly aware that what we do in the seed industry now will have a knock-on effect over the long-term, so we need to proceed in a way that addresses global inequalities such as trends that prevent a cultural group from having access to their traditional foods.
Quinoa is an excellent example. It has been a staple food in South America for thousands of years, but in recent decades has became a fad in North America. As a result, the cultural group for which it has long been vital could no longer afford to buy it. Fortunately, advances in breeding methods have turned that around and quinoa can now be grown in North America, decreasing the pressure on South America’s domestic food supply.
As an industry, we also need to come to grips with food wastage. In the US alone, it’s estimated that between 30 and 40 percent of the food supply goes to waste. That’s an extraordinary figure, and it’s incumbent on the industry to find ways to significantly reduce that wastage.
We’re doing our part to help. Breeders around the world are using Genovix software to analyze and manage their data so they can develop crops that perform better in a variety of locations and diverse climates while increasing yields. By enabling clients to make better breeding decisions, our software helps them to bring new varieties to market quicker and stay there longer.
It’s these kinds of advances that move us closer to living in a world where everyone has solid food security.
