Post by Courtney Herms, PhD

Three speakers, from three backgrounds, giving three approaches to solving innovation gaps in agriculture. Last week I got to head to the old stomping grounds Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen for REBBLS Beers and Peers, with a focus on how we should drive change in agriculture. Thanks Anja Ehrmann for the invite! Pablo D. Cárdenas came down from his office just upstairs at the university to share his research program, developing a domestication pipeline for common plants into new edible crops, with the aim to increase biodiversity in agriculture. I saw his plan to domesticate Chenopodium album in real time as a great opportunity to study how domestication impacts beneficial plant-microbe interactions. Eva Maria Rebrova spun out Yngvi Bio to develop protein-based pesticides to replace more damaging chemicals. Based on bacterial secretion systems, the technology has the benefit of protecting both the payload and beneficial insects. The start-up is a great example of the interdisciplinary nature of ag-tech. Frida Meijer Carlsen took us through the recent EU legislation approving new genomic techniques in plant development. It was a moment for all of us to celebrate this necessary step forward in agricultural innovation! At KMC Amba, they are fully prepared to leverage into this technology to increase disease resistance in potato. My takeaway is that the Danish innovation ecosystem still has its eyes on agriculture. With the regulatory landscape approving new genomic techniques and banning many pesticides, the doors are truly open for change. Where do you think the biggest innovation for agriculture will land?