Reaping the benefits of plant science for food security

Abstract

Global food security can be achieved by reducing demand for food and by increasing sustainable crop production. Both approaches are necessary. To increase sustainable production it will be necessary to harness recent developments in plant science for both genetic improvement of crops and their agronomy. The technological innovations will be most effective if they can be developed as integrated components of agricultural systems. This chapter presents four case histories to illustrate the potential of new developments in plant science. It illustrates how new technology can help improve existing crop production systems and, through grand challenge projects, produce radical innovations. The recent upheaval of global economies illustrates how quickly the illusion of sufficiency can translate into a catastrophe. At the start of 2008 most financial commentators were optimistic although there were some indications that global economies were not sustainable. The general view was that ‘fundamentals’ were sound and that there could be growth in many stockmarkets during the year (Barber, 2008). Unfortunately the optimism was not justified and the subsequent market collapse and squeeze on credit will affect us all in the Western world for some time to come.