BRUSSELS - Climate change is causing extremes in weather, such as more frequent heat waves, periods of drought and intense rainfall. Our farmers notice the consequences of the climate crisis on their fields, in fluctuating yields and failing crops.
Aided by science, they are trying to adapt to this new reality at lightning speed, for example by focusing on crops that can withstand drought better. These crops are imported from warmer regions, or adapted to the drought through breeding. Meanwhile, modern breeding techniques, such as the Nobel Prize-winning gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas, promise a cheat code. In this two-part series, I examine the state of this search for drought-tolerant crops.
Photo: ©Layla Aerts
Boeren in een warmer klimaat: op zoek naar droogtetolerante gewassen (deel 1), EOS, 16/12/2021.
De toekomst van ons eten, (deel 2), EOS, 28/01/2022.
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- Wordt quinoa de nieuwe aardappel?; EOS, 28/11/2021.
- De toekomst van ons eten, Eos, 28/01/2022.
- ‘Het Belgische klimaat was altijd de grootste troef van onze landbouw, maar dat voordeel verdwijnt’, MO.be, 25/08/2022.
