Biotech Updates

Food Global Demand to Double By 2050 Says UMN

November 25, 2011

Global food demand, according to University of Minnesota (UMN) scientists, could double by 2050. Based on their projection reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the world faces major environmental challenges unless agricultural practices change.

"Agriculture's greenhouse gas emissions could double by 2050 if current trends in global food production continue," said David Tilman of UMN.  "This would be a major problem, since global agriculture already accounts for a third of all greenhouse gas emissions."

Tilman and colleagues said that high yielding technologies and efficient use of nitrogen fertilizers could reverse this scenario. Options include increasing productivity on existing agricultural land, clear more land, or a combination of both.

See the press release from National Science Foundation at http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=122293&org=NSF&from=news