This timely Issue Paper (IP 45) includes a preface from Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and has been prepared as an update of CAST Paper No. 1, written by Dr. Borlaug in 1973. The authors of the current paper address (1) future demands facing agriculture; (2) the relationship of bioenergy and bioproducts to agriculture; (3) major issues impacting future U.S. agricultural productivity; (4) major issues facing agricultural productivity in other parts of the world; (5) strategies to meet future food needs; and (6) examples of research areas that could enable the next “Green Revolution.” The authors question the commitment by the United States and many other countries for support of agricultural research and indicate the far-reaching impact that such research, education, and resulting technology–or lack thereof–will have on the nation and the world. (Keywords: Biotechnology, GMO, productivity, agricultural research, bioenergy) Chair: Gale Buchanan, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, The University of Georgia, Tifton Campus.

IP45, January 2010, 16 pp. Available free online and in print (fee for shipping/handling).

Publication Impact Report – September 2010

Now Serving 9 Billion: A Global Dialogue on Food Needs for the Next Generation

On February 12, 2010, leading agricultural experts, including Dr. Gale Buchanan, the Task Force Chair and lead author on this Issue Paper, addressed questions and challenges facing farmers and nations in the 21st century in a town hall 2.0 format at the Newseum in Washington, DC. Taking questions via YouTube, Twitter, e-mail, and Facebook the panel addressed the concerns of citizens around the globe.