Fireside Chat // Resilient Crops: Advances in Breeding for Nutrition and Climate-Smart Agriculture

29 Oct 2025
Auditorium
Main Stage
  • Considering Mexico’s desire to conserve and protect native species of maize, and a general cautiousness around biotechnology in crops, how are the country’s plant breeders working to create crops with greater climate, disease and pest resiliency, as well as greater yields?
  • What techniques are researchers using to increase the nutrient use efficiency of crops? What impact could this have on farmer’s overheads, and the environmental footprint of crop production?
  • Given Mexico’s push for food self-sufficiency, is there a need for stronger legislative support to advance R&D in seed improvement and promote broader adoption of enhanced seed varieties?
  • In high-value produce, which genetic characteristics are growers and sellers most keen to develop and grow? In terms of consumer preferences, which attributes are most attractive for fresh produce?
Speakers
Jelle Van Loon
Jelle Van Loon, Associate Program Director for Sustainable Agrifood Systems and Regional Representative for Latin America - CIMMYT
Cecilia García Martínez
Cecilia García Martínez, Director of R&D - JOSE CUERVO
Jorge Cobian
Jorge Cobian, Procurement Raw Materials & Agrobusiness Director - GRUPO MODELO