Future

The world is at a critical juncture. In 2020, nearly one in three people did not have access to adequate food—between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger. Compared with 2019, 46 million more people in Africa, almost 57 million more in Asia, and about 14 million more in Latin America and the Caribbean were affected by hunger. Based on forecasts of global population growth, the current deficit to feed people around the world, and increased demand for greener fuel and biodiesel, food security will remain an important economic development issue over the next several decades. As food-versus-fuel tension becomes more intense, the day will come when more agricultural products will be used for energy than food. Adding to the conundrum, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the face of the earth in terms of supply chain, resource availability, and human labor and has exposed our vulnerabilities in food security to an even greater extent. In essence, humanity is at a critical juncture, and what this unprecedented movement in our lives has thrusted upon us—the practitioners of the agriculture and technologists of the world—is to innovate and become more productive to address the multipronged food security challenges.