MAGAZINE COVER CAPTION Bags of rice await export from India to Europe. As the global population climbs to a projected peak of some 9 billion in 2050, concerns about food security are growing. A special section beginning on page 797 examines the causes of food insecurity and some solutions, and the implications of climate change and energy use for feeding the world
Science 12 February 2010: 762.
Science Podcast
Science 12 February 2010: 887.
http://podcasts.aaas.org/science_podcast/SciencePodcast_100212.mp3
The show includes measuring food insecurity, rethinking agriculture for the 21st century, and reducing meat consumption.
Transcript at
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/327/5967/887-b/DC1
Food Security
Feeding the Future
Caroline Ash, Barbara R. Jasny, David A. Malakoff, and Andrew M. Sugden
Science 12 February 2010: 797.
From One Farmer, Hope—and Reason for Worry
Gaia Vince
Science 12 February 2010: 798-799.
In Uganda, agricultural research is improving food security for some, but not all farmers are prospering.
Getting More Drops to the Crops
Gaia Vince
Science 12 February 2010: 800.
Getting more crop per drop, particularly in areas where water could become scarcer due to climate change, will be essential to achieving food security worldwide, scientists say.
China’s Push to Add by Subtracting Fertilizer
Mara Hvistendahl
Science 12 February 2010: 801.
Soil scientists are showing farmers that reducing fertilizer use can improve crop yields without adding to environmental problems.
Sowing the Seeds for the Ideal Crop
Elizabeth Pennisi
Science 12 February 2010: 802-803.
Researchers’ wish list includes traits that could boost plant productivity. New technologies are needed to make some of these advances possible.
Armed and Dangerous
Science 12 February 2010: 804-805.
Researchers are working hard on countermeasures to the fungi, weeds, and viruses that are among the more serious biological threats to food security.
Holding Back a Torrent of Rats
Dennis Normile
Science 12 February 2010: 806-807.
Rodent losses are a perennial problem worldwide. Agriculture agencies across Asia are now spreading the word about some relatively simple rat countermeasures.
Spoiling for a Fight With Mold
Dennis Normile
Science 12 February 2010: 807.
Mold spoils some 10% of the world’s annual harvests, and many fungi produce poisonous chemicals that can accumulate in human tissues. Mycologists are studying possible solutions to drive out toxin-producing strains.
Dialing Up Knowledge—and Harvests
Richard Stone
Science 12 February 2010: 808.
Nothing is currently having a more profound effect on farmers in the developing world than telecommunications networks. Cell phones and expanding broadband Internet coverage are helping farmers boost yields by disseminating information.
What It Takes to Make That Meal
Science 12 February 2010: 809.
Researchers have been taking a close look at just how much energy it takes to produce even seemingly similar foods. The conclusion: Food choices can have a significant impact on energy use in agriculture.
Could Less Meat Mean More Food?
Erik Stokstad
Science 12 February 2010: 810-811.
If people in the developed world ate less meat, it would free up a lot of plants to feed billions of hungry people and gain a lot of good farmland. Some food-security researchers, however, are skeptical; they say the complexities of global markets and human food traditions could also produce some counterintuitive—and possibly counterproductive—results.
For More Protein, Filet of Cricket
Gretchen Vogel
Science 12 February 2010: 811.
As the world diverts more of its grain harvests into producing meat, some scientists are pushing policymakers to take a closer look at insects as an environmentally friendlier source of protein.
Perspectives
Smart Investments in Sustainable Food Production: Revisiting Mixed Crop-Livestock Systems
M. Herrero, P. K. Thornton, A. M. Notenbaert, S. Wood, S. Msangi, H. A. Freeman, D. Bossio, J. Dixon, M. Peters, J. van de Steeg, J. Lynam, P. Parthasarathy Rao, S. Macmillan, B. Gerard, J. McDermott, C. Seré, and M. Rosegrant
Science 12 February 2010: 822-825.
Measuring Food Insecurity
Christopher B. Barrett
Science 12 February 2010: 825-828.
Precision Agriculture and Food Security
Robin Gebbers and Viacheslav I. Adamchuk
Science 12 February 2010: 828-831.
African Green Revolution Needn’t Be a Mirage
Gebisa Ejeta
Science 12 February 2010: 831-832.
Radically Rethinking Agriculture for the 21st Century
N. V. Fedoroff, D. S. Battisti, R. N. Beachy, P. J. M. Cooper, D. A. Fischhoff, C. N. Hodges, V. C. Knauf, D. Lobell, B. J. Mazur, D. Molden, M. P. Reynolds, P. C. Ronald, M. W. Rosegrant, P. A. Sanchez, A. Vonshak, and J.-K. Zhu
Science 12 February 2010: 833-834.
Reviews
Food Security: The Challenge of Feeding 9 Billion People
H. Charles J. Godfray, John R. Beddington, Ian R. Crute, Lawrence Haddad, David Lawrence, James F. Muir, Jules Pretty, Sherman Robinson, Sandy M. Thomas, and Camilla Toulmin
Science 12 February 2010: 812-818.
Published online 28 January 2010 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1185383] (in Science Express Review)
Breeding Technologies to Increase Crop Production in a Changing World
Mark Tester and Peter Langridge
Science 12 February 2010: 818-822.
Editorial:
Reaping Benefits of Crop Research
David Baulcombe
Science 12 February 2010: 761.
