21^st Century Challenges for a Changing World

By the year 2050, the world population is expected to rise to over 9 billion people with nearly all of this occurring in developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America.  During this period of global population growth, an additional 3 billion people are expected to enter the middle class by 2030.  In order to meet the nutrition demands of this growing population, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization predicts that food production will need to increase by 70 percent.

At the same time, developed economies such as the United States and the European Union are beginning to see a profoundly different shift in consumption patterns.  Consumers are increasingly concerned about the sustainable aspects of their food including safety, nutritional value and environmental footprint.  This is leading to mounting pressure for transparency and accountability among food producers and processors.

This new focus on sustainable production growth must occur as climate patterns continue to change.  Many parts of the world are already beginning to contend with more intense droughts, larger floods and the proliferation of crop destroying weeds, insects and diseases.  Sound scientific solutions, such as biotechnology, and global cooperation on decarbonization must be a part of any resolute effort toward mitigation and adaptation.