One of the main focuses of agricultural biotechnology is to feed a hungry world in a more sustainable way. Many current farming methods are inefficient because they require large amounts of water, fertilizer and pesticides. Agricultural biotech is trying to solve these problems by starting at the seed level.
Inari, a company that specializes in seed technology, is using gene editing to change food production by making it more sustainable. Inari announced it has raised $208 million in a Series D fundraiser and has reached a valuation of $1.2 billion.
More Sustainable Food Production
Inari’s SEEDesign platform focuses on gene-edited seeds that can change how crops are grown around the world. By needing less water and fertilizer, food production could become more sustainable. At the same time, Inari’s methods could increase crop yield to meet the growing demand for more food.
Inari wants to engineer crops that require less water, fertilizer, pesticides and land. The company is focusing on soybeans and corn as its first crops because they require 300 million acres of land in North and South America to grow. Inari’s SEEDesign platform can increase soybean and corn yield by 20% while lowering water usage by 40% and reducing corn’s nitrogen needs by 40%.
The goal is to increase food production while lowering its agricultural footprint. The company is focusing on soybeans and corn because they are common food sources and crops.
Using CRISPR to Edit Genes in Seeds
Genetically modified organisms are a controversial topic with issues ranging from food labeling to government regulations. Genetically modifying crops can involve removing or knocking out unwanted genes for a specific purpose, such as reducing the need for pesticides. Genetic modification can also artificially insert genes into a plant. Usually, bacteria are used to deliver the new genes.
The introduction of foreign genes into plants is one of the main controversies. However, Inari is not introducing outside genes into its crops. Instead, the company is altering genes that already exist in the plants through gene editing.
Inari uses CRISPR, technology that can edit genes quickly, for its crop research. CRISPR gives the company the ability to change gene sequences in plants and develop better seeds.
Its SEEDesign platform uses predictive design and artificial intelligence (AI) to understand the genetics of plants and makes blueprints for its gene-editing tools that can make multiple edits in a single genome. The edits can make crop seeds with higher yields and lower agricultural footprints.
Ultimately, the goal is to use agricultural biotechnology to improve the industry long-term and make it more sustainable. In order to feed a hungry world without destroying the planet, you need better crops, which start with better seeds.