Don MacKenzie, PhD, executive director of the Institute for International Crop Improvement, spoke with CropLife about his regulatory work with cowpea and golden rice, and the impact these crops could have on human health and food security. 

“If we care about the well-being of people everywhere, then we need to care about this kind of work,” he says. “Over and over, it has been shown that access to technology has raised farm incomes, which in the developing world especially, results in improved nutritional status, more education opportunities for children and more stable communities. Plant biotechnology is an enabling technology that ultimately leads to better livelihoods and is supportive of human and planetary health.”