December 10, 2024
Saskatoon, SK – Genome Prairie, in partnership with Genome Alberta, today formally released a “What We Heard” summary report from a March 2024 online workshop on “Genomics at Work For the Prairie Crop Industry.” The report provides a summary of items discussed during the workshop, additional analysis by subject matter experts, and recommendations on how genomics could be more readily adopted for crop improvement in the future.
The workshop brought together diverse perspectives on the current status of genome-based technologies in the Prairie’s agri-food sector to discuss barriers to adopting genomic technologies, identify changes needed to advance innovations and outline and prioritize future research to guide investment for Prairie-based funding agencies. The workshop focused on various genomics and crop development topics, including technology implementation, the role of big data and artificial intelligence, communicating genomics opportunities, and the regulatory environment and how it affects research.
“Both Genome Alberta and Genome Prairie play an integral role in the larger national Genome Enterprise, especially in driving agricultural innovation across Canada,” said Mike Cey, Genome Prairie President and CEO. “This workshop was an important part of the dialogue needed to advance the genomics economy.”
Genome Alberta and Genome Prairie co-hosted the workshop, which included a panel of experts in the agriculture and agri-food sectors. Among those on the panel were Dr. Stuart Smyth from the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Cami Ryan from Bayer Crop Science Canada, Dr. Francois Eudes from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ian Affleck from CropLife Canada, Dr. Lorne Hepworth from the Agriculture Research Institute of Ontario, and Dr. Nancy Tout from the Global Institute for Food Security.
Among some of the key takeaways from the workshop, the What We Heard report found:
- Barriers to the adoption of genomics technologies are no longer associated with technical limitations as they once were due to the declining costs associated with generating genomics data;
- Effective communication and education about new technologies are critical factors for building broader acceptance and trust with the public (consumers) about adopting genomics and,
- High-throughput phenotyping combined with large amounts of genomics data leveraging machine learning/AI approaches will significantly shape the trajectory of crop genomics.
“The outcomes of this workshop underline the importance of factoring socio-economic considerations early in the design phase of any genomics research program,” said Cey. “It is my hope moving forward that we continue to hold these dialogue sessions not only to highlight the growing role of genomics in crop production but to create a wider understanding of how it could greatly benefit food production in Canada and beyond.”
The full report is available on the Genome Prairie website. To view/download it, click here.
For more information about the Genomics at Work For the Prairie Crop Industry workshop or the What We Heard summary report, please contact Genome Prairie communications at communications@genomeprairie.ca
