Technology could produce more food on less land and lower costs.Ottawa—Agrifood groups, led by CropLife Canada, the Canadian Seed Trade Association and the Canada Grains Council, have established Nature Nurtured to talk to Canadians about the safety and benefits of gene editing.It's a topic the groups have pushed with the federal government for several years with little sign of progress so now it's time to talk Canadians about the technology for making good foods even better, says CropLife Vice-President Erin O'Hara. “Given that Canadians are more interested than ever about where their food comes from and how it's grown, we know it's the responsibility of the industry to share the story of new innovations like gene editing.”Nurture's message is that gene editing can “help prevent plant diseases, produce higher crop yields with less resources, make plants more adaptable to climate change, and reduce food waste. It's even making some of your favorite foods healthier and tastier.”Gene editing involves making specific changes to the genetic code of a plant to enhance desirable qualities and remove undesirable ones, which makes it a form of plant breeding. “Traditional plant breeding methods can take a long time – sometimes taking a decade or more to get the desired result. Gene editing tools make the process of improving plants much more efficient.”The most common gene editing currently is CRISPR whose inventors were awarded a 2020 Nobel Prize. It has a wide range of potential uses across healthcare, energy, industrial materials, agriculture and more. In agriculture, scientists are focused on using tools like CRISPR to make improvements within a plant's own genetic code.While plant breeding goes back thousands of years, “CRISPR is the most efficient and precise plant breeding tool to date, leading to stronger and healthier plants, and more benefits for farmers, consumers, and the environment,” Nurture says.Although the safety of gene editing is often questioned, “A recent report reflecting the views of thousands of scientists clearly states that gene editing within a plant's own genetic code is just as safe as traditional breeding.” It amounts to achieving changes you might see naturally over time happen “in a quicker and more precise way.”A growing global population means increased demand for food at the same time as farmers face added pressure from climate change, disease and pests. “Gene editing can help increase crop yields, on the same amount or even less land, using fewer resources helping to decrease the environmental impact of producing food.”Gene editing can make food products healthier, for example, by lowering saturated or trans fats or increasing the quantity of nutritional components as well as extend the shelf life of some fruits and vegetables to reduce food waste.Plant breeders are also using gene editing to address food sensitivities and remove common allergens so that more people can safely enjoy more products.Among the groups supporting the campaign are Grain Farmers of Ontario, Canadian Canola Growers, Soy Canada, Producteurs de Grains du Quebec, Seed Growers of Canada, and the Canadian Seed Growers Association.Information on Nature Nurtured is available at https://naturenurtured.ca/For more information on agriculture innovation go to https://innovature.com/Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.