The application of genomics and gene editing in plant sciences has immense transformative potential for modern agriculture. These new breeding tools offer opportunities to enhance crop yield and stability, nutritional value, and resistance to environmental stressors, promising significant benefits for both commercial and smallholder farmers alike. Advancements in crop genomics, transformation and genome editing technologies have removed barriers to applying these new tools in crops with lower research investment. This democratization brings an opportunity for a paradigm shift for key crops impacting small shareholder farming, where subsistence and sustainability are primary concerns and where these technologies could be instrumental in reducing poverty and improving food security.

The overarching goal of this Research Topic is to bridge the gap between advancements in plant genomics, gene editing, edited-assisted breeding and their impacts on commercial and smallholder farmers. Current challenges encompass broad access and lowering the barriers to these technologies, current knowledge levels about the advancements and benefits of crop gene editing, and global regulatory issues. The goal is to collate research that exemplifies the successful translation of such science into real-world applications benefiting farmers and consumers alike, providing actionable insights that drive social impact and agricultural sustainability. In summary, addressing these challenges require collaboration among researchers, policymakers, farmers, and consumers to unlock the potential benefits of gene editing for agriculture.

Scope of this Research Topic:
• Advances in plant genomics and genome editing and their implications for major and minor crop development.
• Practical applications and case studies showing successful applications of genomics and gene-editing of crop species.
• Impacts of these technologies on crop yield, nutritional value, and resilience to climate change and plant pests.
• Effective dissemination and technology transfer mechanisms enabling smallholder farmers to take advantage of these advances.
• Policy and regulatory considerations for the use of gene editing in agriculture.
• Addressing knowledge gaps and enhancing consumer acceptance of gene-edited crops.
• Evaluation of the long-term impacts of these technologies on small farm sustainability.
• Exploring future trends and potential challenges in the deployment of these technologies at the small farm level.
• Role of international collaboration in facilitating access to gene-editing technologies.
• Socioeconomic impact assessment of deploying gene-editing breeding in small shareholder farming.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

From Genomics to Genome Editing: Crop Improvement Innovations for Farmers Worldwide