The fast pace of population growth and high consumption behaviors make it necessary to double global food production by 2050. A presentation at the 2012 Greenbiz Forum discusses the importance of increasing crop yields without using more natural resources.

Jon Foley, Director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Minnesota, points out in the presentation that improving resource efficiency through using less land and water “could add 50 to 60 percent more food to the world with almost no impact on the environment.” Other experts have noted that biotechnology has the ability to boost the amount of food production per acre while better managing water resources, particularly in the face of drought or water shortages. Read more.

What traits would the “perfect plant” have? In Science’s “Sowing the Seeds for the Ideal Crop,” researchers present a wish list of crop improvements needed to increase production and achieve sustainability.

Some of researchers’ “lofty goals” include restructuring root and leaf architecture to increase water use efficiency, improving the nutrient content of seeds and edible plant parts, and adding genes for toxins that will kill only pest insects.

The article also discusses technologies that can make these changes possible, such as artificial chromosomes, RNA interference, targeted gene replacement and robotics. While these techniques are still being developed and refined, it is clear to scientists that they are part of the solution to providing more food for the world.

Science also provides further insight into how to feed the world’s growing population with their video, “Feeding the Future.” 

Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle addressed the importance of biotechnology in feeding the world in a recent Politico article.

 He writes, “In the past 25 years alone, farmers in the United States have boosted corn production by more than 40 percent. And products in the ag pipeline offer the promise of nutritional outputs that will improve products and boost yields. In order to realize these new technologies, we must foster innovation by incentivizing and encouraging investment in biotech and broader agricultural research and development.”

 Daschle believes there are four core pillars on which agricultural leaders must organize an agenda:

1. We must support scientific and technological innovation in agriculture.

2. We must facilitate an open, competitive marketplace.

3. We must collaborate to innovate.

4. We must empower farmers worldwide with the tools necessary to meet this growing demand.

He concludes, “The challenges we face are daunting. But I remain confident that harnessing the innovation of our policymakers, scientists and farmers around the world will put us on track to feed the world and preserve its resources. Indeed, we have no other choice.”

Andrew Revkin, science reporter from the New York Times Dot Earth Blog shared in his blog post “A Menu feeding 9 Billion” that Science Magazine, the premier national academic science journal, removed the pay wall from the report “Food Security: The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People.” According to Revkin, the paper discusses the difficulty of feeding a growing population with current agricultural practices, but “expresses optimism that a sustained focus on efficiency, technology and policy innovations can do the trick.”

The authors of the report prepared a chart with examples of possible strategic traits that could be engineered in specific crops, helping farmers produce significant crop yields even in marginal circumstances. Examples of traits include: salinity tolerance and increased nitrogen-use efficiency.

The paper stresses “that technology alone is far from sufficient if policies are not shifted to advance the appropriate use of the right agricultural strategy or tool in the right place.” Therefore, the authors also point to areas such as aquaculture and food waste management as tools that can increase sustainable production limits.

Additionally, Revkin reports that this special February issue of Science about Food Security includes an analysis by Dr. Nina Fedoroff, Science and Technology Advisor at the U.S. Department of State and 14 other authors, including CBI Expert Dr. Pamela Ronald.  This analysis, “Radically Rethinking Agriculture for the 21^st Century”  also underlines the importance of revising our agriculture policies to fit the needs of the 21^st century, and focuses on the promise of agricultural technology that can greatly increase crop yields and support a growing population.

The authors of this analysis believe that the complex regulatory structure for GM crops needs to be simplified so more resources are allocated towards GM crop development. They believe that these efforts, along with improved aquaculture practices, will help us improve food security worldwide and combat the effects of a changing climate. The authors of this report conclude by saying, “But if we are to resume progress towards eliminating hunger, we must scale up and further build on the innovative approaches already under development, and we must do so immediately.”

Dr. Nina Fedoroff responds to a question from Twitter users watching the panel

CBI attended a panel February 12 at the Newseum in Washington, DC about meeting food needs for the next generation. The panel was sponsored by CropLife International, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST).

The event brought together agriculture and science experts from across the globe, including Dr.  Nina Fedoroff, Science and Technology Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State; Gale Buchanan, author, CAST report; Calestous Juma, Professor, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; Robert Paarlberg, Professor, Wellesley College and Mark Cantley, former head of the European Commission’s “Concertation Unite for Biotechnology in Europe.” The panel was moderated by Frank Sesno, Director, School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University.

The panel was a fascinating discussion about the factors challenging food production and the solutions that can help us overcome these challenges and feed a growing population. The panel responded to questions from the moderator, who posed questions from audience members and individuals submitted questions through a live Twitter feed, YouTube and email.

The rejection of science-based agriculture by some groups was discussed by the panelists.  Dr. Nina Fedoroff lamented the idea that “urban elites turned themselves against modern molecular biology” while overpopulation and a reduction in arable land is making it increasingly difficult for nations to feed themselves. According to Mark Cantley, there is a “murderous hypocrisy” on the part of some who want to save the lives of people in developing

Robert Paarlberg and Gale Buchanan discuss the future of agriculture

countries, yet deny them access to the technology that would make a real difference and truly save their lives.

In addition to discussing the challenges facing agriculture and the future of food production, the panelists talked about ways to achieve a consensus regarding the widespread implementation of agricultural biotechnology.

Ag biotech was also discussed as a method to mitigate the effects of a changing climate, such as through drought and flood tolerant crops. Gale Buchanan believes that we should invest in flood-tolerant rice and Dr. Nina Fedoroff sees the need for more research into developing crops that can grow in marginal systems so we can better manage water supply issues.

Of course, biotech is only one answer to the challenges of feeding the world. The experts added that increased and improved agricultural educational practices are needed to truly help farmers in the developing world. Education must be coupled with better coordination among governments and investment in financial services and transportation infrastructure for small farmers. Calestous Juma added at that building roads will do more for feeding agriculture than all the technology in the world.

The experts concluded the panel by providing a working definition for sustainable farming: using resources without running short. All experts agreed that there needs to be greater investment in agricultural research among governments in order to provide the tools for farmers to feed a growing world.

You can watch the video of the event here.

From L to R: Mark Cantley, Dr. Nina Fedoroff, Frank Sesno, Robert Paarlberg, Gale Buchanan, Calestous Juma