ICTA-UAB Debate: Can We Feed the World Without Destroying It?

We are launching ICTA-UAB Debates, a new series of dialogues designed to challenge mainstream assumptions, stimulate critical thinking, and create space for the kind of conversations that don't usually fit inside a seminar or conference panel. The format is deliberately informal. An ICTA-UAB moderator launches a hot topic, three guest experts each offer their perspective in ten minutes, and then the real conversation begins, structured around question boxes into which the audience deposits provocations, doubts, and the questions that feel almost too risky or too simple to ask out loud. The goal is not consensus. It is precisely the opposite!

 

The first ICTA-UAB Debate: Can We Feed the World Without Destroying It?

 

• Date: Monday, June 15, 2026
• Time: 11am
• Venue: Sala Montseny  (Z/022 & Z/023) ICTA-UAB 

 

By 2085, the world population is projected to reach 10.3 billion. We need to produce more food under more difficult conditions, while drastically lowering the environmental impact of agriculture. Organic farming, genetic engineering, precision agriculture: the tools exist, but so do the ideological battles. What does the evidence actually say?

Joining the debate:

• Gemma Llanes Sagarra — organic and regenerative farmer, Pomona Fruits
• Marta Pujol Abajo — researcher in plant genomics, IRTA & CRAG
• Enric Tello — environmental historian, University of Barcelona
• Josep Maria Casacuberta — plant genomics researcher, CSIC & CRAG; Chair of EFSA's GMO Panel

 

Moderated by ICTA-UAB director Umberto Lombardo.

Come with questions… Leave with an open mind!

 

Short bios:

 

• Gemma Llanes Sagarra is an entrepreneur and advocate for sustainable agriculture. Based in Ivars d'Urgell (Lleida), she co-manages Pomona Fruits, a company specializing in the organic and regenerative production of apples, pears, apricots, and flat peaches. Pomona Fruits is the recipient of the BBVA Sustainable Farmers Award. Gemma is Vice President of the Catalan Council of Organic Agricultural Production and Board Member of the Business Association for Organic Agriculture.

 

• Marta Pujol Abajo holds a PhD in Biotechnology and is a researcher at IRTA (Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries), affiliated with the Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG). Her research focuses on the genetics and genomics of horticultural plants, with particular attention to ripening, fruit quality, and disease resistance in melons. She also works with seed companies on the development of molecular markers and genomic tools for plant breeding programs.

 

• Enric Tello is an environmental historian and retired Professor of Economic History at the University of Barcelona. His research focuses on the socio-ecological metabolism of agriculture, analyzing how energy flows, material cycles, and landscape change affect biodiversity and climate resilience. He co-developed the SAFRA model, a tool designed to scale up organic farming into circular, climate-smart landscapes, and has served as an expert advisor to the European Commission's Standing Committee on Agricultural Research (SCAR).

 

• Josep Maria Casacuberta is a CSIC researcher at CRAG in Barcelona, where he leads research on the structure and evolution of plant genomes. He chairs the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms for the 2024–2029 term and regularly advises European institutions on genome editing and sustainable agriculture.