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

World leaders and CEOs at the Davos 2010 World Economic Forum participated in a panel called “Rethinking how to feed the world.” The panel discussed the challenges facing global food production and possible solutions that will increase yield and support agricultural producers worldwide.

The panel was moderated by Prannoy Roy, Chairman, New Delhi Television (NDTV), India, and panelists included:

William H. Gates III, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA
Jakaya M. Kikwete, President of Tanzania
Ellen Kullman, Chair of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, DuPont, USA
Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of Vietnam; Chair, 2010 ASEAN
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director, World Bank, Washington DC; Global Agenda Council on Corruption
Patricia A. Woertz, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), USA;

According to Tanzania President Kilwete, “…a combination of mechanization, irrigation, high-yielding seeds, getting the fertilizers and imparting skills to farmers” is needed for Tanzanian farmers to improve agricultural practices and food production.

The panelists agreed that science based solutions and better education for farmers will need to play a role in increasing food production. Please comment with your thoughts on this fascinating discussion.

Bill Gates, Microsoft Chairman and head of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, writes about the importance of achieving both agricultural productivity and sustainability. As head of the largest foundation in the world, Mr. Gates has made a $1.4 billion commitment to small farmers for reducing global hunger through approaches that include agricultural technology. 

Mr. Gates writes, “I have seen proof that agricultural science can make people’s lives better” and points to advances like the Swarna-sub1 Rice, a seed variety that can survive underwater for more than two weeks and help farmers in places that are prone to floods. According to Bill Gates, the next “Green Revolution” must help feed a billion people using modern technology in a sustainable manner.

You can read the entire piece by Bill Gates here.

The University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment produced an excellent video that asks the big question “how will we feed a growing population without destroying the planet?” The video shares some sobering facts that underline the enormity of the challenges before us, but also provides solutions and ideas on ways to improve agricultural productivity.

UMN Institute on the Environment Director Jonathan Foley wrote a piece that corresponds with the video and discusses “the other” inconvenient truth: “a global crisis in land use and agriculture that could undermine the health, security and sustainability of our civilization.”

You can watch the video below and also find it on the Institute’s site. You can read Mr. Foley’s piece here.