During a speech at the New America Foundation, U.S. Senator Dick Lugar (R-Indiana) emphasized that meeting the world’s future food needs will require innovative agricultural technologies, Agri-Pulse reports. His comments were in response to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, which pointed out that the addition of three billion new consumers over the next 20 years will create challenges for agricultural production and the environment.

As one of the few farmers currently serving in the U.S. Senate, he referenced his experience working on a family farm in Indiana, “I am convinced that improved seed technology is vital. Given the challenges of altered weather patterns, future water scarcity, new pests and diseases, and the need for more nutritious plants, we must use all the technology in our toolbox, including bioengineered seeds,” he said. Read more.