Ending all forms of hunger by 2030, as set forward in the UN-Sustainable Development Goal 2 (UN-SDG2), is a daunting but essential task, given the limited timeline ahead and the negative global health and socio-economic impact of hunger. Malnutrition or hidden hunger due to micronutrient deficiencies affects about one third of the world population and severely jeopardizes economic development. Staple crop biofortification through gene stacking, using a rational combination of conventional breeding and metabolic engineering strategies, should enable a leap forward within the coming decade. A number of specific actions and policy interventions are proposed to reach this goal.

Summary: Tef is a staple food and a valuable cash crop for millions of people in Ethiopia. Lodging is a major limitation to tef production, and for decades, the development of lodging resistant varieties proved difficult with conventional breeding approaches. We used CRISPR/Cas9 to introduce knockout mutations in the tef orthologue of the rice SEMIDWARF‐1 (SD‐1) gene to confer semidwarfism and ultimately lodging resistance. High frequency recovery of transgenic and SD‐1 edited tef lines was achieved in two tef cultivars by Agrobacterium‐mediated delivery into young leaf explants of gene editing reagents along with transformation and regeneration enhancing morphogenic genes, BABY BOOM (BBM) and WUSCHEL2 (WUS2). All of the 23 lines analyzed by next‐generation sequencing had at least two or more alleles of SD‐1 mutated. Of these, 83% had tetra‐allelic frameshift mutations in the SD‐1 gene in primary tef regenerants, which were inherited in subsequent generations. Phenotypic data generated on T₁ and T₂ generations revealed that the sd‐1 lines have reduced culm and internode lengths with no reduction in either panicle or peduncle lengths. These characteristics are comparable with rice sd‐1 plants. Measurements of lodging, in greenhouse‐grown plants, showed that sd‐1 lines have significantly higher resistance to lodging at the heading stage compared with the controls. This is the first demonstration of the feasibility of high frequency genetic transformation and CRISPR/Cas9‐mediated genome editing in this highly valuable but neglected crop. The findings reported here highlight the potential of genome editing for the improvement of lodging resistance and other important traits in tef.

Part of the studies involved in safety assessment of genetically engineered crops includes characterizing the organization, integrity, and stability of the inserted DNA and evaluating the potential allergenicity and toxicity of newly-expressed proteins. Molecular characterization of the introduced DNA in provitamin A biofortified rice event GR2E confirmed insertion of a single copy of the transfer-DNA in the genome and its inheritance as a single locus. Nucleotide sequencing of the inserted DNA confirmed it was introduced without modifications. The phytoene synthase, and carotene desaturase proteins did not display sequence similarity with allergens or toxins. Both proteins were rapidly digested in simulated gastric fluid and their enzymatic activity was inhibited upon heat treatment. Acute oral toxicity testing of the protein in mice demonstrated lack of adverse effects. These evidences substantiated the lack of any identifiable hazards for both proteins and in combination with other existing comparative analyses provided assurance that food derived from this rice is safe. This conclusion is in line with those of the regulatory agencies of US Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada and Food Standard Australia and New Zealand.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a vital crop in sub-Saharan Africa, but the legume pod borer (LPB), Maruca vitrata, can cause over 80% yield losses. Natural resistance to this lepidopteran pest is absent in cowpea germplasm, and insecticides are ineffective due to the pest’s cryptic behavior. To address this, a genetically modified (GM) cowpea expressing the cry1Ab protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was developed, providing complete LPB resistance. This Bt cowpea, commercialized as Sampea 20-T in Nigeria, was recently approved in Ghana as Songotra T. To evaluate its performance and the financial returns of its cultivation, field trials were conducted across multiple locations in northern Ghana to compare it to the non-transgenic Songotra control and two commercial cultivars, Kirkhouse-Benga and Wang-Kae. Songotra T exhibited protection against LPB infestations and damage, achieving a grain yield of 2534 kg/ha compared to 1414–1757 kg/ha for the other entries. As expected, non-LPB pest infestations and damage were similar across all entries. Economic analysis revealed that Songotra T had the highest return on investment (464%), outperforming the other tested cultivars (214%). These results demonstrate the potential of GM crops to enhance yields and profitability for resource-poor farmers, underscoring the value of biotechnology for addressing critical agricultural challenges.

Compositional analysis is an important component of an integrated comparative approach to assessing the food and feed safety of new crops developed using biotechnology. As part of the safety assessment of cassava brown streak disease resistant 4046 cassava, a comprehensive assessment of proximates, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, anti-nutrients, and secondary metabolites was performed on leaf and storage root samples of 4046 cassava and its non-transgenic parental control, TME 204, collected from confined field trials in Kenya and Uganda over two successive cropping cycles. Among the 100 compositional components that were assessed in samples of 4046 and control TME 204 cassava roots (47 components) and leaves (53 components), there were no nutritionally relevant differences noted. Although there were statistically significant differences between the transgenic and control samples for some parameters, in most cases the magnitudes of these differences were small ( $<$20%), and in every case where comparative literature data were available, the mean values for 4046 and control cassava samples were within the range of normal variation reported for the compositional component in question. Overall, no consistent patterns emerged to suggest that biologically meaningful adverse changes in the composition or nutritive value of the leaves or storage roots occurred as an unintended or unexpected consequence of the genetic modification resulting in 4046 cassava. The data presented here provide convincing evidence of the safety of 4046 cassava with respect to its biochemical composition for food and feed, and it could be considered as safe as its non-transgenic control.