On a list of the most controversial topics in science, genetically modified organisms would easily be close to the top. Concerns about their safety and effect on naturally bred species continue to dominate scientific and policy discussions. Prof. Sarah Davidson Evanega, plant breeding and genetics, however, is assured of their safety and maintains that they could play an important role in fighting global food insecurity. Evanega detailed the manner in which climate change threatens global food security, emphasizing the ramifications for farmers.“A Tanzanian farmer, Selma, that our team spoke to, spent $300 — half of her annual income — on preparing and planting her two acre maize field. For the second year in a row, she lost everything due to a drought, ” Evanega said. “But science offers farmers like Selma some hope,” Evanega added, emphasizing that tools of plant breeding can help minimize agriculture’s contributions to climate change. In September 2016, the first GMO field trial was attempted in a semi-arid desert in Tanzania. As part of the Water Efficient Maize for Africa project, it aimed to test whether drought-tolerant GM maize could be grown effectively. According to Evanega, the security of GM crops like this has already been verified by research by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. In 2015, the academy concluded that GM crops have no adverse effects on human health, though noting that any new foods, genetically modified or not, may have subtle health effects that develop over time or go undetected even with careful scrutiny. However, biotech maize has a long way to go before being served in households all over the world.