CERSA Goes Global With Two Summer Programs

Two workshops held this summer by NC State University’s Center of Excellence for Regulatory Science in Agriculture (CERSA) brought 13 participants from five countries to the United States to learn more about bioregulation and its impacts on the agricultural industry.

Affiliated with the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, CERSA held the second of two Agricultural Bioregulatory Programs Aug. 18-23 at NC State’s Plant Sciences Building and other nearby locations.

Fellows from Brazil, Mexico, Gambia, and Namibia learned about the regulatory environment and policy process in North Carolina and the United States through tours, lectures and discussions with experts from NC State, private industry and federal regulatory bodies.

Modeled after the Biotechnology Regulation Immersion Course, formerly hosted by the University of Missouri, the program was aimed at senior biotechnology regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders in the public and private sectors, said CERSA Director Danesha Seth Carley.

The course was designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of agricultural bioregulation and its impact on the industry.

Course offers new perspectives on agricultural technology

Maricruze Barraza, from Mexico, said the program allowed her to gain a new perspective on technology development. “As a regulator, it has been very interesting for me to realize the amount of work, budget and business strategies involved in each development before it is launched to the market,” she said.

That knowledge “is useful for a regulator because it provides a deeper understanding of the entire process involved in developing and commercializing a product,” Barraza added. “This allows for a better assessment of the risks, feasibility, and potential market impact of the product.”

One of the speakers for the course, Bayer Crop Sciences’ Senior Policy Manager Raymond Dobert, said that “with a diverse set of instructors from government, industry and academia, the program provided an excellent opportunity for international biotech policymakers an opportunity to learn about the science behind biotechnology-derived plants, safety evaluations, commercialization and stewardship aspects of these products. 

“Such programs continue to be in high demand, and the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative provides a unique environment to help policymakers build capacity and expertise in their home countries.”

Not many opportunities are available to discuss scientific approaches amongst regulators and to enable regulators to experience, hands on, the science behind traits.

Another speaker, Ali Scott of BASF, said such efforts are needed to bring new products to farmers, the food chain and consumers. “This is the way to advance agriculture to where the regulatory systems work for the farmer and consumer and not against them.”

“Not many opportunities are available to discuss scientific approaches amongst regulators and to enable regulators to experience, hands on, the science behind traits,” added Scott, BASF’s vice president of global regulatory affairs for seeds. “NC State now provides an academic and neutral environment to provide those experiences and  foster discussions about approaches.”

Thailand professionals learn about climate smart ag tech

Earlier in the summer, seven Cochran Fellows from Thailand participated in CERSA’s “Effective Implementation of Climate Smart Agricultural Technology” program. The event, which took place July 28-Aug. 10, brought the fellows to Washington, D.C., and to Gainesville, Florida.

CERSA partnered with the Minor Use Foundation, affiliated with the IR-4 Project, which helps specialty crop growers address pest management issues, to offer the training. Faculty members from the University of Florida and industry representatives from Bayer, Syngenta and BASF addressed topics ranging from animal agriculture sustainability, precision agriculture, water use and crop forecasting to industry efforts related to climate smart agriculture.

Educating international agricultural regulators about … challenges and opportunities posed by climate change ensures that they can support sustainable practices, promote technological innovation and protect global food security.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service’s Cochran Fellowship Program provides short-term training opportunities to agricultural professionals from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies. The goals include helping countries develop agricultural systems necessary to meet the food and fiber needs of their domestic populations and  to strengthen and enhance trade linkages.

Danesha Seth Carley, CERSA’s director, said that the program for the Cochran fellows was designed to equip regulatory professionals with the knowledge they need to navigate the impacts that climate change is having on global landscapes.

“Educating international agricultural regulators about both the challenges and opportunities posed by climate change ensures that they can support sustainable practices, promote technological innovation and protect global food security,” Seth Carley said. “By fostering a shared understanding of these emerging issues, we create a more resilient agricultural system that benefits farmers, consumers and ecosystems worldwide.”