For centuries, many thought leaders have predicted disastrous results when the Earth's growing population and dwindling resources together reach critical mass.  As early as 1798, British scholar Thomas Malthus based An Essay on the Principle of Population on the simple premise that the planet has a finite capability to support the human race, and the inevitable outcome will be the demise of human society, broad famine, and war that �with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world.�  Just 45 years ago, Paul Ehrlich's bestselling book The Population Bomb stated that the limits of the planet's resources had finally been reached and �the battle to feed all of humanity is over,� warning that mass starvation and famine were imminent.  In 2013, more than 200 years since Malthus' proclamation, the global population has grown exponentially from approximately 1 billion to 7 billion, but  we've averted the prognostications of widespread shortages of meat, vegetables, and grains by undergoing a massive transformation in agricultural technologies that has increased both the quantity and quality of food production.  Over the next few decades, the challenges to the agricultural industry will multiply, as we now must target dramatic new breakthroughs to provide nutritious and plentiful food for 9 billion people on fewer arable acres, using less available water, and leaving a smaller environmental footprint.  This talk will explore the progress, impact, and future needs of agrichemical innovation as we continue to stave off the Malthusian hypothesis through sustainable long-term solutions.

From lab bench to table top: Science serving the needs of a growing world

246th National Meeting (2013)

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