Food in a future of 10 billion

• Nina V Fedoroff¹Email author

Affiliated with

Agriculture & Food Security20154:11

DOI: 10.1186/s40066-015-0031-7

©  Fedoroff. 2015

Received: 26 March 2015

Accepted: 31 July 2015

Published: 21 August 2015

Abstract

Over the past two centuries, the human population has grown sevenfold and the experts anticipate the addition of 2–3 billion more during the twenty-first century. In the present overview, I take a historical glance at how humans supported such extraordinary population growth first through the invention of agriculture and more recently through the rapid deployment of scientific and technological advances in agriculture. I then identify future challenges posed by continued population growth and climate warming on a finite planet. I end by discussing both how we can meet such challenges and what stands in the way.

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