This paper examines the many economic factors and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the agriculture sector.

This one-page Ag quickCAST contains excerpted material from its companion CAST document (IP 51), Food, Fuel, and Plant Nutrient Use in the Future.

Future food, fiber, and fuel demands will not be met by expanding cropland area; continued advances in nutrient use efficiency will moderate increased nutrient demand. With a growing population, dwindling arable land, and an increased demand for biofuels, the world cannot count on an expansion of harvested area to fill the demands of the world’s growing population.

This Issue Paper identifies the nature of gene flow and discusses the relatively limited situations in which it is likely to cause economic problems in the production of commercial biotech crops.

Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are of increasing concern because of their potential role in promoting rapid and undesirable change in climate. Agriculture ironically serves as both a source and a sink for this increase in GHGs.