ABIC 2014 Speakers Discuss Global Food Security, Agri Innovation Strategies, and Leadership

The Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC 2014) was held on October 5-8, 2014 in Saskatchewan, Canada, attended by delegates from over 60 countries who discussed the benefits of agricultural biotechnology. The conference was hosted by Ag-West Bio, Saskatchewan's Bioscience Industry Association.

Around 42 world-renowned experts tackled various topics such as innovation for global security, strategies for agricultural innovation, and leadership for successful innovation. The keynote speaker at the conference was Julie Borlaug, Associate Director for External relations of Norman E. Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Dr. Borlaug's granddaughter. She presented the role of biotechnology as an integrated approach in the fight against hunger.

Ingo Potrykus, Professor Emeritus at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and one of the developers of Golden Rice, presented the progress and challenges faced by the biotech crop. According to Dr. Potrykus, "The technology is stable, reproducible, free of charge for the trait, applicable to all rice varieties tested so far, and it provides sufficient provitamin A from half a cup of rice to prevent vitamin A-deficiency. Optimized varieties are under development in the Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, and China. Compared to traditional interventions Golden Rice is highly cost-effective and sustainable."

For more information about the conference, visit http://www.abic.ca/abic2014/index.php/abic-2014-highlights.