Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, is also among the most controversial because of its leadership in GMO crops. Monsanto chief executive Hugh Grant said on the NPR’s “Here & Now” that controversy comes with the territory. “Sometimes when you’re first out the gate, when you’re in a leadership position like that, you become the de facto spear-catcher,” said Grant, noting that GMO crops have been on the market for two decades and are planted on hundreds of millions of acres worldwide.
Asked about protests of GMO seeds, Grant replied, “I actually think it’s improving.” He says the dialogue about food safety and food security is widening to look at the challenge of growing more food while conserving water and protecting soil health.
“We’re gonna have to make agriculture much more sustainable, and I don’t think GMOs are the silver bullet there. I think there’s other things that we’re gonna have to figure out, how we look after soil better, how we use less water, but I see that conversation improving,” Grant said. “I think agriculture can contribute to all three [conserving water, food security and climate change adaptation], and I think GMOs and microbials and better use of data, I think the convergence at hand for these technologies has a really important part to play in solving these three pieces.”