Gene-editing technologies represent a promising new tool for plant and animal breeding in low- and middle-income countries. They enhance precision and efficiency over current breeding methods and could lead to rapid development of improved plant varieties and animal breeds. However, as for any new technology, they have their merits and demerits. There is, as yet, no international consensus regarding if and how gene-edited organisms should be regulated, and whether their release would fall under the regulatory framework of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. This event will discuss, from national and regional perspectives, the potential benefits, food safety related issues, and unintended consequences of gene-editing technologies, as well as the barriers to adoption and diffusion, implications for small-scale producers, and ethical, regulatory and policy issues in the context of agrifood systems.