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BULLETIN 1
World Food Day 16 October: A Hungry World Knows No Borders
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ICRISAT Oct. 16 2025
Opinion piece by Dr Himanshu Pathak Director General, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
When crops fail, people move not by choice, but by necessity. As families are displaced by droughts and failed harvests, the pressures do not always stop at national boundaries. In short, hunger has become one of the most powerful forces shaping our century.
From the Sahel, the vast semi-arid belt stretching across Africa from Senegal to Sudan and the Horn of Africa to South Asia’s dry zones and Southeast Asia’s coastal farmlands, climate shocks are undermining food production and disrupting communities across the Global South.
In the Sahel, prolonged drought and poor harvests, among other factors, are driving migration north through Niger and Mali toward North Africa and, for some, across the Mediterranean.
Across South Asia, recurrent floods and heat stress have displaced millions in India and Bangladesh, while in Southeast Asia, rising seas are forcing coastal farmers and fishers inland.
These pressures are magnified by rapid population growth, especially in the Sahel, where the population is projected to more than double by 2050, placing immense strain on already limited arable land.
The same story is unfolding across the globe. In Central America’s drought-stricken Dry Corridor, years of crop failure are pushing families to leave their farms and migrate north in search of food and safety.
Safeguarding the right of people to remain where their families have lived for generations, now depends on enabling communities to produce more food from every hectare, even as conditions grow harsher.
History shows that when people cannot feed their families, societies fracture and conflicts occur. The world’s most strategic investment today is in the hands that grow our food and not in walls or weapons.
By investing in climate resilient crops such as the drought and heat tolerant varieties developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and expanding access to scientific innovation and improved seeds, we enable communities to withstand climate shocks, secure their livelihoods, and remain in their traditional lands instead of being forced to migrate by a crisis not of their making.
These positive impacts are already visible, but they must now be scaled up dramatically to match the magnitude of the challenge.
The World Bank estimates that up to 216 million people could be forced to migrate within their own countries by 2050 as climate impacts intensify most of them in Africa and South Asia.
Investing in resilient food systems in the Global South is one of the most effective and humane strategies for ensuring regional and ultimately global stability.
The UNDP estimates that every dollar invested in sustainable agriculture today saves seven to ten dollars in humanitarian aid and migration management later.
At ICRISAT we witness this every day. Across Africa and Asia, we work with governments and communities to turn drylands, some of the harshest farming environments on Earth, into zones of opportunity.
In India’s Bundelkhand region, stretching across southern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh our science-led watershed interventions have turned what were once parched and deserted wastelands into thriving, water-abundant croplands.
In Niger, climate-resilient seed systems are now transforming uncertainty into productivity. From drought-tolerant sorghum and pearl millet to digital tools that guide farmers on planting and water management, science is helping people stay and thrive where they are.
These few examples show that solutions exist. What is missing is scale and that requires more sustained investment.
Developed nations have both the capacity and the self-interest to act. Supporting food systems in the Global South should also be seen as insurance against instability.
FAO’s 2025 World Food Day theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future”, captures what this moment demands, a deeper investment in science that make a real difference, and genuine partnership.
Across the Global South, collaboration is already strengthening through the ICRISAT Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture as nations share knowledge, seeds, and strategies to build resilience together.
Yet the North, too, has a vital role to play in recognition that hunger and instability anywhere can threaten prosperity everywhere.
The future of food security, peace, and climate resilience must be built together.
As the climate crisis tightens its hold, the world must choose, act now to strengthen the foundations of food and farming, or face the growing cost of displacement and unrest.
This World Food Day let us remember that peace, like harvests, depends on what we sow today.
In the Sahel, prolonged drought and poor harvests, among other factors, are driving migration north through Niger and Mali toward North Africa and, for some, across the Mediterranean.
Across South Asia, recurrent floods and heat stress have displaced millions in India and Bangladesh, while in Southeast Asia, rising seas are forcing coastal farmers and fishers inland.
These pressures are magnified by rapid population growth, especially in the Sahel, where the population is projected to more than double by 2050, placing immense strain on already limited arable land.
The same story is unfolding across the globe. In Central America’s drought-stricken Dry Corridor, years of crop failure are pushing families to leave their farms and migrate north in search of food and safety.
Safeguarding the right of people to remain where their families have lived for generations, now depends on enabling communities to produce more food from every hectare, even as conditions grow harsher.
History shows that when people cannot feed their families, societies fracture and conflicts occur. The world’s most strategic investment today is in the hands that grow our food and not in walls or weapons.
By investing in climate resilient crops such as the drought and heat tolerant varieties developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and expanding access to scientific innovation and improved seeds, we enable communities to withstand climate shocks, secure their livelihoods, and remain in their traditional lands instead of being forced to migrate by a crisis not of their making.
These positive impacts are already visible, but they must now be scaled up dramatically to match the magnitude of the challenge.
The World Bank estimates that up to 216 million people could be forced to migrate within their own countries by 2050 as climate impacts intensify most of them in Africa and South Asia.
Investing in resilient food systems in the Global South is one of the most effective and humane strategies for ensuring regional and ultimately global stability.
The UNDP estimates that every dollar invested in sustainable agriculture today saves seven to ten dollars in humanitarian aid and migration management later.
At ICRISAT we witness this every day. Across Africa and Asia, we work with governments and communities to turn drylands, some of the harshest farming environments on Earth, into zones of opportunity.
In India’s Bundelkhand region, stretching across southern Uttar Pradesh and northern Madhya Pradesh our science-led watershed interventions have turned what were once parched and deserted wastelands into thriving, water-abundant croplands.
In Niger, climate-resilient seed systems are now transforming uncertainty into productivity. From drought-tolerant sorghum and pearl millet to digital tools that guide farmers on planting and water management, science is helping people stay and thrive where they are.
These few examples show that solutions exist. What is missing is scale and that requires more sustained investment.
Developed nations have both the capacity and the self-interest to act. Supporting food systems in the Global South should also be seen as insurance against instability.
FAO’s 2025 World Food Day theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Food and a Better Future”, captures what this moment demands, a deeper investment in science that make a real difference, and genuine partnership.
Across the Global South, collaboration is already strengthening through the ICRISAT Center of Excellence for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture as nations share knowledge, seeds, and strategies to build resilience together.
Yet the North, too, has a vital role to play in recognition that hunger and instability anywhere can threaten prosperity everywhere.
The future of food security, peace, and climate resilience must be built together.
As the climate crisis tightens its hold, the world must choose, act now to strengthen the foundations of food and farming, or face the growing cost of displacement and unrest.
This World Food Day let us remember that peace, like harvests, depends on what we sow today.
See https://pressroom.icrisat.org/world-food-day-16-october-a-hungry-world-knows-no-borders
BULLETIN 2
New Gene Editing Technique Boosts Precision and Efficiency
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A research team has developed a new gene editing approach, called prime editing with prolonged editing window (proPE), designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of current prime editing (PE) methods. The technique addresses the inconsistencies in PE's efficiency and specificity for more reliable genetic modifications and potential therapeutic applications.
ProPE introduces a second non-cleaving guide RNA to improve the reach of DNA modification. This modification allows scientists to overcome several technical barriers that limit traditional PE systems. The researchers reported that proPE increased overall editing efficiency by up to 6.2-fold, achieving as much as 29.3% success in previously low-performing edits (<5% with PE).
The study also demonstrated that proPE could extend the editing range for allele-specific modifications from 15 to over 50 nucleotides. The researchers noted that this breakthrough could advance precision medicine by enabling more effective disease modeling and potential therapeutic interventions. Overall, proPE's high efficiency and adaptability may mark a significant step forward in biomedical genome engineering.
For more information, read the study from Nature.
See https://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=21554
SCIENTIFIC NEWS
Identification of candidate genes associated with resistance to Heterodera sojae in soybean
Heonil Kang, Jiyong Song, Hyoung-Rai Ko, Jae Eun Jo, Ji-Hun Hwang, Yeon-Ki Kim, Soo-Kwon Park, Gyu Tae Park, Tae-Hwan Jun, Bo-Keun Ha, Zenglu Li & Kyung Do Kim
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; October 19 2025; vol. 138; article 278
Heonil Kang, Jiyong Song, Hyoung-Rai Ko, Jae Eun Jo, Ji-Hun Hwang, Yeon-Ki Kim, Soo-Kwon Park, Gyu Tae Park, Tae-Hwan Jun, Bo-Keun Ha, Zenglu Li & Kyung Do Kim
Theoretical and Applied Genetics; October 19 2025; vol. 138; article 278
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Key message
We identified QTLs and candidate genes associated with resistance to Heterodera sojae and then designed KASP markers from candidate genes on chromosomes 1 and 18 for marker-assisted selection.
Abstract
Heterodera sojae is a recently discovered cyst nematode species that parasitizes soybean roots, reducing soybean growth and yield. However, genes associated with resistance to H. sojae in soybean remain unknown. A genome-wide association study of genes related to resistance to H. sojae was performed with a panel of 385 soybean accessions using an Axiom 180 K SoyaSNP array and whole-genome sequencing data. Thirteen significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified; among them, four SNPs located on chromosomes 1 and 18 were selected to identify candidate resistance genes and develop kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers for efficient genotyping. Haplotype analysis revealed 16 candidate genes within two haplotype blocks adjacent to the SNPs that were significantly associated with resistance to H. sojae. The functions of these candidate genes were predicted based on the JGI Plant Gene Atlas, which showed that they were specifically expressed in soybean roots. The KASP markers developed based on these SNPs can be used to perform marker-assisted selection in soybean breeding programs to develop soybean cultivars resistant to H. sojae.
See https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00122-025-05062-z
