As climate change reshapes our environment, its impact on food systems becomes clear. We must model our food systems for resilience to ensure food security in a warmer world

Climate change is bound to affect our food systems. The impact of rising CO2 levels may impact crop yields in complex ways like altering plant metabolism, changing soil fertility, erosion by pests and several others. Thus our food systems must be modelled for resilience in a warmer world. While we must make behavioural shifts in our food habits, it is also important to revisit history to learn how science has contributed to addressing the food question in the past. The introduction of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) during the Green Revolution made us overcome the Malthusian trap in the mid-20th century, which threatened a mass starvation-like situation. HYVs produced more grains per plant, requiring less land and resources, however, the use of fertilisers and pesticides also increased.

Targeted & Precision Gene Editing

Genetic alterations in plant breeding are both natural and human-induced and have been there for years. These methods involve cross-breeding, altering DNA with radiation or planting a gene like a pest-resistant Bt gene inserted in the cotton seed. The conventional methods for human interventions involve changes in a large part of a plant’s genetics, resulting in both intended and uncertain consequences like enhancing one trait and an inadvertent suppression of others. However, technologies like CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) offer precision cut-and-paste-like operations at the ladder level in the DNA helix (the nucleotides).

This accuracy thus minimises the risk of unintended edits in the genetic material. The tool is derived from natural defence systems in bacteria and the breakthrough led to a Nobel Prize win for Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier in the year 2020.

To get a more intuitive feel of the technology, think of the conventional gene editing technologies similar to a random insertion of a chapter in a book which might look rather messy whereas CRISPR has the ability of adding that chapter well aligned with the context and information flow of that book. Although not entirely free of risks, it is widely believed that CRISPR holds immense potential for creating climate-resilient crops like a wheat plant thriving in summer, similar to how the HYVs addressed the challenges during the Green Revolution.

The AI Advantage :

Proteins are the building blocks of life. These proteins are synthesised upon activation of certain genes in the plant or animal cell. One of the biggest mysteries of life on earth is to understand what triggers the synthesis of a particular protein in a cell and how a protein molecule is shaped in 3-D, as this understanding helps in determining the protein’s function and how it would interact with other such molecules to create organ structures or say an enzyme.

AI tools like Google’s AlphaFold attempt to predict these 3-D structures of protein molecules by reading the cellular codes in the form of amino acid sequences. It’s quite similar to imagining a complex machine and its functionality, say an automobile engine, merely by reading the instruction booklet meant for its assembly. No doubt an AI-enabled enhanced and faster understanding of life’s fundamental systems like the protein structures can help in the creation of more resilient crop varieties.

Key Concerns: No doubt there are risks associated with gene edits. It is very much like tinkering with life’s basic systems and this may have consequences beyond the intended genetic material, species, geographies and time horizons. Beyond the perceived threat of these scientific misadventures, there are ethical concerns associated as well like the creation of designer babies or large corporations monopolising the technology.

Way Forward:

While we must tread with caution in the gene space, we should also realise that genetically modified organisms have already entered into the world’s food systems. A large part of animal feed is genetically engineered and several ingredients in human food too have such modifications.

The benefits of gene tech are not limited to food crops rather they have path-breaking implications on human health in terms of disease prevention or cure and myriad others. The recent introduction of indigenous CAR-T cell therapy by India, targeted towards genetically engineering T cells (immune system cells) for cancer cure is one such example. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research is working in the field of CRISPR to develop crop varieties suitable to the country’s needs.

The need of the hour is to build robust knowledge systems, invest in genetic engineering research, create robust institutional mechanisms for stakeholder collaboration including the consumers and envisage regulations that blend civilisational ethics and the tenets of contemporary science.

In conclusion, climate change necessitates a resilient approach to our food systems, incorporating advanced technologies like CRISPR for precise genetic modifications.

This innovative tool, inspired by natural bacterial defenses, offers targeted solutions for creating climate-resilient crops with minimal unintended effects.

Combined with AI advancements in understanding protein structures, these technologies promise significant improvements in agricultural productivity and sustainability. While ethical and safety concerns remain, the benefits of genetic engineering extend beyond agriculture to human health.

By investing in research, fostering collaboration and establishing ethical regulations, we can harness these advancements to secure our food future in a warming world.

(The author is an officer of the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers. He has been a UK Commonwealth Scholar; views are personal)