Rethinking agricultural practices | Dr. Andrey Zarur | TEDxFargo

Dr. Andrey Zarur, a cancer-treatment physician turned agricultural entrepreneur, argues that modern farming's heavy reliance on chemical pesticides has consequences for human health and ecosystems. Drawing on his experience after his child reacted severely to chemicals in food, he presents the challenges of pest resistance, chemical use and biodiversity loss as warning signs. He suggests that agriculture can learn from medicine by using biological tools to create more precise pest control, rather than simply adding more chemicals or relying on organic farming alone. The talk is presented as the speaker's personal views and business approach; TED notes that some claims about agricultural chemicals are contested and need further scientific study.

• Concerns about chemical pesticide use, pest resistance and biodiversity loss
• Proposal to apply biological, medicine-inspired approaches to pest control
• RNA-based pest control that targets specific insects
• Speaker's personal views; claims about chemical effects are contested

NOTE FROM TED: While some chemical pesticides have been identified as a public health and safety concern, several claims around the prevalence and long-term health effects of agricultural chemicals have been contested by experts working in the field and warrant further scientific investigation. This talk only represents the speaker's personal views of and business approach to agriculture, pest management, and health. We've flagged this talk because it falls outside the content guidelines TED gives TEDx organizers. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. The guidelines we give TEDx organizers are described in more detail here: http://storage.ted.com/tedx/manuals/tedx_content_guidelines.pdf What if agriculture is telling us something about the future of human health? After building a career in cancer treatment, Dr. Andrey Zaurer made an unexpected transition into agriculture when his child experienced severe reactions to chemicals in food. What he discovered was a larger challenge: the same chemical-heavy approach used to protect crops can have consequences for people and the ecosystems that sustain them. As agriculture works to feed a growing global population with limited land, farmers face increasing pest resistance, chemical use, and biodiversity loss. Andrey argues that the answer isn't simply using more chemicals—or relying on organic farming alone. Instead, agriculture can learn from medicine by using biology to create more precise solutions. From RNA-based pest control that targets specific insects to new approaches that protect beneficial species, Andrey explores how biological tools could help farmers protect crops while reducing unintended impacts on people and the environment. The warning signs are already here. The question is whether we choose to listen—and build a better way forward. Dr. Andrey J. Zarur, President and CEO, co-founded GreenLight Biosciences in 2008 to develop advanced biological solutions to overcome some of the biggest challenges faced by the human race, including sustainable food production, response and preparedness for pandemics, and global access to effective human health. He is a co-founder and was Chairman of the Board of Solid Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLDB), a gene therapy company targeting Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. He is also co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Lumicell Surgical, an oncology company delivering advanced imaging solutions to cancer surgery. He has been a co-founder and senior executive in more than a dozen companies in the healthcare and clean energy sectors. Prior to starting GreenLight Bio, Andrey was Managing Partner at Kodiak Venture Partners, an early-stage, technology-driven venture fund based in Boston. Dr. Zarur carried out graduate doctoral studies in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Immunology at Harvard-MIT. Andrey is a frequently invited speaker at scientific and trade conferences, has authored a num