That, in turn, could enable more farmers, particularly in poorer parts of the world, to protect their crops from heatwaves and other severe weather. It has also licensed its suite of genetic tools to Mars to help the confectionary giant develop cacao plants that would be more resilient to plant diseases and shifting climate conditions. The cacao trees, which farmers predominantly grow in West Africa, are coming under increasing stress from rising temperatures and erratic rainfall patterns. Particularly in some of the hottest and poorest parts of the world, climate-adapted crops promise to prevent hunger and starvation. If those tests go well, it intends to work on squatter fruit trees as well, such as cherry or peach.