Today the World Economic Forum announced its class of 2021 Technology Pioneers, and we’re proud to say that Enko is among them.

Each year, the World Economic Forum selects a group of global early- to growth-stage companies building innovation and new technologies that are poised to have a significant impact on business and society. Past honorees include Google, Indigo Ag, Impossible Foods and Ginkgo Bioworks. The Forum selected Enko for our work to strengthen and sustain the future of farming by developing new crop health solutions.

Reflecting on this honor, it feels especially timely as the world begins to emerge from COVID-19. We have all spent more than a year witnessing the power of cross-industry collaboration and developing technologies to solve pressing problems. The rapid creation of several safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines is just one example.

The challenges that our food systems face may not always feel so urgent, but they are. Around the world, growers have increasingly limited options to safely and sustainably protect their fields from the crippling threats of pests, superweeds and new diseases. Climate volatility only intensifies these threats. Across farms worldwide, more than 600 pest species have developed some form of resistance, which could decrease global crop yields by 40% –while population growth means we need to produce more food than ever.

These problems are too complex for the ag industry to solve in silos. Just as the world needs vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, growers need practical solutions that address their immediate needs. Companies must collaborate on a robust and stable ecosystem of tools that work in concert. This collaboration is core to the World Economic Forum’s goals for the Technology Pioneers. Over the next two years, we will join the other honorees in initiatives addressing this and other global issues with fresh urgency and creativity as we rethink our post-pandemic world.

Finally, I’m especially excited to join the Technology Pioneers this year because for the first time, over 30% of the companies are led by women and 26 countries are represented across the cohort. This presents a unique opportunity to connect with people from all around the globe who bring important perspectives and share our drive for innovation and collaboration. We are eager to learn from them and join forces to create a more resilient global food system.