ABIC 2014
sAsKAtcHeWAn bIoscIences:
Agriculture and more
Every day we hear stories about extreme weather, poverty and wars. There is no longer a debate that the climate is changing; today the question is how to adapt to unpredictable weather patterns. Added to the mix is a global population that is growing rapidly and predicted to reach nine billion by 2050, an increase of about 40 per cent. More mouths to feed, along with economic shifts and climate change, will result in added pressure on our food production systems. But there is good news. The world’s brightest minds are at work, searching for solutions to some of these problems through agricultural biotechnology. The Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) gathers those bright minds together each year for an important meeting that explores the use of biotech tools to develop hardier, more nutritious crops, while conserving the planet’s limited resources. ABIC returns to Saskatoon, SK October 5 to 8, 2014. Since 2010, when the conference 14 BIOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS July/August 2013
was last held here, the realization of the effect that climate change and population growth could have on the world has led to new initiatives that will affect the agbiotech industry in Saskatchewan and beyond. One example is the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), created in December 2012. Dr. Roger Beachy, an internationally recognized pioneer in plant biotechnology, was appointed as founding executive director and CEO of GIFS and is currently leading the organization through the start-up phase. GIFS is a public-private partnership among PotashCorp, the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan. According to Beachy, GIFS will use its resources to draw upon Saskatchewan’s strengths and capabilities to find solutions in the food and agriculture sector and use them to solve important challenges in global food security. “GIFS will be a synergizing institute that will provide opportunity for more individuals and more groups to collaborate on new solutions to agriculture problems,” he says. Beachy notes that the provincial govern-
ment wants to ensure that Saskatchewan’s economy remains strong as an agricultural community and maintain its position as a provider of food, feed and sufficient nutrition for the world market. Agriculture has always been a major industry in this largely rural province. According to the province’s Ministry of Agriculture website, Saskatchewan contains about 40 per cent of the country’s arable land, but a short growing season and harsh conditions means that farmers have had to be creative and resourceful to grow enough to make a living. Agricultural science goes back to pioneer days: Established in 1907, the Agriculture College at the University of Saskatchewan is nearly as old as the province itself. Once known as ‘Canada’s Breadbasket,’ for the vast wheat fields that graced the countryside, Saskatchewan agriculture has diversified thanks to agricultural research. Canola (Brassica napus), developed through joint efforts by scientists at Agriculture Canada in Saskatoon and the University of Manitoba, has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and is traded around the world. Research companies continue to improve the crop,
