Growing population demands and the shrinking availability of arable land and groundwater resources raise questions about the sustainability of agricultural production. This week the ISN takes a closer look at the threats to the future of agriculture, and the technological advances that could help promote – or in some cases undermine – global food security.
This ISN Special Report contains the following content:
- An Analysis by Peter Buxbaum on the promises and pitfalls of agricultural biotechnology.
- A Podcast interview with Dr Ronnie Coffman on the dangers of wheat rust and the global efforts to develop more resistant varieties of wheat to mitigate the coming epidemic.
- Security Watch articles about reducing pesticide use, racially motivated land grabs and much more.
- Publications housed in our Digital Library, including the recently published Center for Global Development Working Paper on ‘Pulling Agricultural Innovation and the Market Together’.
- Primary Resources, like the full-text of the US Department of Agriculture’s projections to 2019.
- Links to relevant websites, such as to the World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department.
- Our IR Directory, featuring The Borlaug Global Rust Initiative, which pursues the systematic reduction of vulnerability to stem, yellow and leaf rusts of wheat.