Potential abiotic stress targets for modern genetic manipulation

We review the effects of climate change on farming systems, suggest key traits and technologies relevant to developing climate-resilient crops, and discuss the need for public engagement. Research into crop yield and resilience has underpinned global food security, evident in yields tripling in the past 5 decades. The challenges that global agriculture now faces are not just to feed 10+ billion people within a generation, but to do so under a harsher, more variable, and less predictable climate, and in many cases with less water, more expensive inputs, and declining soil quality. The challenges of climate change are not simply to breed for a hotter drier climate, but to enable resilience to floods and droughts and frosts and heat waves, possibly even within a single growing season. How well we prepare for the coming decades of climate variability will depend on our ability to modify current practices, innovate with novel breeding methods, and communicate and work with farming communities to ensure viability and profitability. Here we define how future climates will impact farming systems and growing seasons, thereby identifying the traits and practices needed and including exemplars being implemented and developed. Critically, this review will also consider societal perspectives and public engagement about emerging technologies for climate resilience, with participatory approaches presented as the best approach.

Automated summary

This article reviews the impact of climate change on farming systems and discusses the traits and technologies needed to develop climate-resilient crops. It emphasizes the importance of public engagement and highlights the challenges of feeding a growing population under harsh and unpredictable climate conditions. It also emphasizes the need to prepare for floods, droughts, frosts, and heat waves, and advocates for modifying current practices and innovative breeding methods.