AGRICULTURE & FOOD SYSTEMS INSTITUTE

IN 2024, AFSI CONTINUED ITS STRONG PROGRAMS IN SUPPORT OF AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION AND REGULATION FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT. HIGHLIGHTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR THE YEAR INCLUDE: AS PART OF THE SOUTH ASIA BIOSAFETY PROGRAM (SABP), AFSI ORGANIZED THE "CONFERENCE ON GENOME EDITING FOR AGRICULTURE IN BANGLADESH" ON FEBRUARY 11, 2024 IN DHAKA TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE PUBLICATION OF THE "STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOP) FOR RESEARCH AND RELEASE OF GENOME EDITED PLANTS OF CATEGORIES SDN-1 AND SDN-2,2023," ATTRACTING 129 IN-PERSON ATTENDEES. AFSI ORGANIZED THE WORKSHOP "BOLSTERING ASEAN FOOD SECURITY THROUGH PARTNERSHIP AND COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY" IN JAKARTA, INDONESIA ON MARCH 4-6, 2024, WHICH WAS HOSTED BY THE ASEAN SECRETARIAT AND SUPPORTED BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) AND THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE. ALL 11 ASEAN MEMBER AND OBSERVER STATES WERE REPRESENTED, WITH 44 TOTAL PARTICIPANTS SHARING THEIR EXPERTISE AND EXCHANGING IDEAS. SUPPORTED BY A GRANT FROM THE USDA FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICE (FAS) EMERGING MARKETS PROGRAM (EMP), AFSI ORGANIZED THE "ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT WORKSHOP: NON-TARGET ORGANISM TESTING," IN COOPERATION WITH THE USDA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE (ARS), IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY, AND CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE, ON JUNE 24-28, 2024, FOR EIGHT PARTICIPANTS FROM THE USA, INDONESIA, NIGERIA, AND KENYA. AFSI IMPLEMENTED THE "WORKSHOP ON MOVING FORWARD ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY THROUGH CONTINUING EFFORTS ON REGULATORY COOPERATION IN APEC" ON AUGUST 14, 2024 IN TRUJILLO, PERU, PRIOR TO THE APEC HLPDAB PLENARY MEETING. THE FULL-DAY IN-PERSON EVENT WELCOMED OVER 40 PARTICIPANTS, REPRESENTING CANADA, CHINESE TAIPEI, INDONESIA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA, MALAYSIA, MEXICO, PERU, THE PHILIPPINES, RUSSIA, THAILAND, VIETNAM, AND THE USA. DURING THE EVENT, A DRAFT OF THE POLICY APPROACHES DOCUMENT FOR REGULATORY COOPERATION ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY (PAD)WAS PRESENTED TO PARTICIPANTS, ALONG WITH ITS COMPANION WEBSITE (BIOTECHPOLICYPORTAL.ORG), BOTH OF WHICH AFSI WILL CONTINUE TO WORK ON IN 2025. AFSI ORGANIZED ON THE FOURTH TRAINING EVENT IN THE WORKSHOP SERIES "GENE EDITED PLANTS: CONTEXT AND COMMUNICATION FOR PLANT BREEDING INNOVATION" ON DECEMBER 10-11, 2024 IN DAEJEON, SOUTH KOREA. SPANNING TWO DAYS, "ENABLING REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT FOR GENOME EDITING IN AGRICULTURE IN SOUTH KOREA: OPPORTUNITIES & POSSIBILITIES" BROUGHT TOGETHER A DIVERSE SET OF 52 STAKEHOLDERS WORKING ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY IN SOUTH KOREA, INCLUDING SCIENTISTS AND EXPERTS FROM THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.