Which technology will feed 9 billion people in 2050? Have your pick - whether it be genetic engineering or synthetic manufacture of meat, things may not be so smooth. Yet, with no more land available then, having to increase food production by 70 percent in four decades is not insurmountable! That is what scientists say in a set of 21 papers published by the Royal Society.
In fact, what is now causing a problem could well be a beneficial factor, they say! Yes, carbon. A team of scientists at Rothamsted, the UK's largest agricultural research centre, suggests that extra carbon dioxide in the air from global warming, along with better fertilisers and chemicals to protect arable crops, could hugely increase yields and reduce water consumption. (But the very same carbon dioxide is causing temperatures to soar and cause droughts, which we are told have a long-terms effect on plant growth.)
However some others think the solutions will not be easy. With 18 percent reduction in water availability for food production, it's anybody's guess why. Desalination may seem easy till one looks at the energy expended, especially for the amounts we are looking at.
Reducing food wastage, better storage, artificial meat and nanotechnology are among the many ideas mooted as saviours of the population. Any other ideas?
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