From fashion to technology to food, trends tend to come and go, but sometimes they are so broadly embraced or needed that they stick around and become movements. No matter the case, they can’t be ignored, because they often dictate the direction in which an industry - or the world - is moving.

Earlier this spring, the world’s top agricultural technology leaders gathered at the World Agri-Tech Innovation and Future Food-Tech summits to discuss some of the most important and exciting ideas, trends, developments and innovations in the food and ag tech spaces.

One of the most promising? Gene editing.

With changing diets, the increasing threats of climate change, pests and disease, and an ever-growing global population, researchers, start-ups, food companies and other innovators realize and are invested in the potential that gene editing and other agricultural innovations have to meet pressing global and environmental needs.

Calyxt, a Minnesota-based company, is leading the charge with an oil derived from gene-edited soybeans that has an extended shelf and fry life, leading to a more sustainable product.

Others are exploring gene editing’s potential to develop higher-yielding crop varieties that require fewer resources, like water, to thrive to help combat climate change and new varieties of cacao, coffee and citrus resistant to pests and diseases, which are threatening crops across the globe.

Another emerging trend is the important role that tiny organisms known as microbes play in the food chain and human wellness. With this in mind, researchers are exploring the use of gene editing to enhance the ability of microbes to provide flavor and texture to different types of fermented products and improve gut and intestinal health.

As seen most recently with the hype around Burger King’s Impossible Whopper, people are becoming more open to innovations in the food and ag space, especially when they come with real benefits to their wellness and the planet, and for this reason, gene editing is a trend that’s here to stay.