Challenges for Plant Breeding
What is the status quo of plant breeding – and of plant breeding research – in public and private institutions? Which factors define the structure and stakeholders of plant breeding in Germany and globally? And which factors cause the international structure of this sector to change?
In 2016 we had the opportunity to answer these and other questions in two expert reports for the Office of Technology Assessment at the German Bundestag (TAB). Along with other reports, our work was part of a larger project focusing on the Challenges for plant breeding. The goal of this project was to provide an interdisciplinary meta-analysis of the future challenges, opportunities, strengths and weaknesses of conventional and organic plant breeding.
The first report authored by HFFA Research analyzed the structural changes happening in the plant breeding sector, along with its main determinants. In turn, the second report compiled information on public and private research activities in the sector. A strong focus of the second report was on the different crop types and their varieties. While the reports focus mostly on Germany, relevant data and the development of the sector were also set into a European and global perspective.
The reports were submitted in November 2016 and are yet to be edited by the TAB. They will be published as part of a comprehensive monography on the challenges for plant breeding in the future.
For more information on this project, please contact us.