NEWS
Stay updated on the latest developments in plant science policy and EPSO activities!
EPSO is pleased to announce the start of its new Working Group ‘Future Proofed Crops’. It will focus on adapting our crops to the shifting climate, to improve abiotic stress, photosynthesis and resource use efficiency of crops, and to stably increase crop yield and – via the link to our Nutritional Security WG crop nutritional quality. It encompasses the continuum from basic to applied research.
The first activity planned by the WG will be a (probably online) meeting in February 2022 to discuss the upcoming novel possibilities to future proof our crops.
Pls discuss this in your organisation and reply to Karin, cc Sofia and the chairs to become a member of this WG best by 3rd December (we suggest 1-2 expert scientists per organisation interested in this subject). To enrol an expert, please provide the providing the name, function in the institute, 1-3 keywords on the expertise and contact details.
Interested in the other EPSO WGs?
Discuss in your organisation all EPSO Working Groups (see 2nd attachment) and let Karin know if you want to add expert scientists to the other WGs.
EPSO members start and coordinate EPSO Working Groups to collaborate on science advancement, networking, strategy and provide science advice to policy.
We suggest that 1-2 expert scientists per member organisation join a WG relevant to them.
Membership in EPSO WGs is restricted to experts from EPSO Institutional members. Others can apply to become and observer of a WG
Looking forward to collaborating with you in the FPC WG
Rene, Christine, Andreas, Francesco, Alain and Karin
FPC WG co-chairs: René Klein Lankhorst, Christine Raines, Andreas Weber, Francesco Loreto and Alain Gojon.
EPSO Executive Director: Karin Metzlaff
Click here to read: Full ‘EPSO FPC WG announcement’ and the ‘EPSO Join Working Groups announcement’.
Contacts:
EPSO: Karin Metzlaff, EPSO Executive Director & Sofia Ciravegna, EPSO Executive Assistant
EPSO FPC WG co-chairs:
- René Klein Lankhorst (WUR / NL)
- Christine Raines (Essex / UK)
- Andreas Weber (HHU / DE)
- Francesco Loreto (CNR / IT)
- Alain Gojon (INRAE / FR)
Our climate is changing and the world population is growing to an estimated 10 billion people by 2050. This may cause serious problems in global food supply, protection of the environment and safeguarding Earth’s biodiversity.
To face this challenge, agriculture will have to adapt and a key element in this will be the development of “future proof” crops. These crops not only will have to be high-yielding, but also should be able to withstand future climate conditions and will have to make very efficient use of scarce resources like water, phosphorus and minerals.
Future crops not only should sustainably give access to sufficient, nutritious, and diverse food to a worldwide growing population, but also support the circular bio-based economy and contribute to lower atmospheric CO2 concentration to counteract global warming.
Future-proofing our crops is an urgent issue and a challenging goal that only can be realized by a large-scale, international research cooperation. We call for international action and propose a pan-European research and innovation initiative, the CropBooster Program, to mobilize the European plant research community and all interested actors in agri-food research and innovation to face the challenge
Read the full opinion paper by J Harbinson, M Parry, J Davies, N Rolland, F Loreto, R Wilhelm K Metzlaff R Klein Langhorst published in Biology 2021 here (https://doi.org/10.3390/biology10070690). It was developed in the CropBooster-P project (www.cropbooster-p.eu/ ), funded under Horizon Europe grant agreement number 817690.
EPSO will start a new Working Group on ‘Future Proofed Crops’ after the summer break with a focus on abiotic stress. EPSO members contact [email protected] to become WG member. Non-members to become WG observer.
Karin Metzlaff (Executive Director EPSO, CropBooster partner)
Jeremy Harbinson (WUR, CropBooster leader strategy WP)
Rene Klein Langhorst (WUR, CropBooster coordinator, co-chair Future Proofed Crops EPSO WG)
Andreas Weber (Uni Duesseldorf, CropBooster partner, co-chair Future Proofed Crops EPSO WG)