Wageningen U&R Plant Science director Richard Harrison reflects on a future where we can combine a diversity of farming systems. Where will the role of biotechnology fit in then? Harrison explains how the current combination of increasing knowledge, AI and more accessible techniques is democratising science and speeding up biotechnology.
He was asked to tell a story about the link between society and biotechnology. Plant Science director Richard Harrison will give this lecture at F&A Next, the international food & agri innovation summit in Wageningen. As he strongly underlines the need for more knowledge about these topics, Harrison is motivated to share his perspective. “If we want to know what the importance is of biotechnology for our food of the future, our starting point must be a dialogue about what type of food and farming system we want. To realise the ambitions of growing the bioeconomy, production of food, fuel and raw materials, in Europe and carve out a competitive advantage, we need to do that now,” he explains.
Diverse landscape