The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) called on nations to further boost food production, saying an expanding global population and the threat of severe weather events compels not only the United States but also other nations to propagate “coexistence” agriculture.

Dr. Pesach Lubinsky, science advisor at the USDA-New Technologies Division, Foreign Agricultural Service, told participants at a seminar he conducted on September 22 at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) that coexistence agriculture will increase yields for rice and other crops by simultaneously nurturing genetically modified (GM) and organic plants in a specific area.