Speakers at the global World Food Day ceremony in Rome today called for stronger political will and more financial support to end hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, urging the international community to step up its efforts until everyone has enough and quality food. This year's theme - "Our actions are our future: a Zero Hunger world by 2030 is possible" - underscores the urgent need to step up collective efforts to reach the Zero Hunger goal. World Food Day is celebrated in over 150 countries around the world.

At the opening ceremonies of the world’s largest scientific conference on rice, three international institutions recognized the global significance of rice, a vehicle for economic prosperity, international development, and climate change adaptation and mitigation. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations

Vectors are widely used in various experiments, such as gene-editing, gene-overexpression, and protein-protein interaction whether to characterize genes or create novel traits in crops. The classic pCAMBIA vectors have been used by scientists for over 20 years. Other vectors such as TA and Gateway are also used by scientists in the lab, but these vectors have limitations, including difficulty in transferring DNA sequences between vectors.

Gene-edited crops are necessary if UK is serious about trying to decrease the use of chemical pesticides, according to Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) Minister, George Eustice. He said this statement in response to the letter addressed to him by a group of scientists and industry leaders, which demanded clarity on how the UK Government's 'Chequers' Brexit plan would affect gene editing research.

Scientists from the University of Melbourne showed how plant walls could be modified to change the way how biofuels, bioplastics, and other biomaterials are produced. Their study is published in Nature Plants.The researchers used master switches that can switch on primary wall production. It was found that the switches can make cell produce thick primary walls that can even be used to replace secondary walls.

Genome-edited Camelina sativa plant lines developed by Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. using CRISPR-Cas9 for increased oil content has received nonregulated status from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS)'s Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS). Yield10 submitted an "Am I Regulated?" letter to the BRS in May 2018, requesting confirmation of the regulatory status for Camelina plant lines containing combinations of genetic changes to increase oil production.

Farmers in three US states are harvesting 16,000 acres (~6,475 hectares) of soybeans developed through gene editing technique. The soybeans are expected to be sold to consumers for use in frying oil, salad dressings, and granola bars. It is the first commercialized crop in the US developed using the new promising technique.

Uganda has a hugely untapped but promising potential of biotechnology for her growth, said Hon. Dr. Elioda Tumwesigye, the country's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations. The minister was categorical that bio-economy has greater potential to bring Uganda more money than oil.

FAO and the African Union today launched a new framework document that aims to increase agricultural efficiency and reduce drudgery by helping countries in Africa to develop strategies for sustainable farm mechanization. The Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization: A Framework for Africa (SAMA) is the result of discussions with policy makers from AU member states, the AU Commission, FAO and key partners. It offers a detailed look at the history of machinery in Africa, and points the way towards addressing challenges and creating new opportunities to assure the successful adoption of mechanization.

The office was inaugurated by Professor Hamadi Boga, Principal Secretary, Kenyan State Department of Agriculture Research, who was represented by Dr. Margaret Makelo; Mr. Jim Godfrey, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Dr. Matthew Morell, Director General, for the International Rice Research Institute. The office and IRRI’s regional research initiatives will be led by Dr. Abdelbagi Ismail, IRRI’s Regional Representative for Africa.