We've heard it many times: business as usual in farming and food production cannot sustainably feed the 9 billion people projected to populate the world by 2050. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, food production must increase by as much as 70 percent in the first half of the 21st century to meet these needs, especially in developing countries.
Climate change poses particularly daunting challenges to future food production. Crops and livestock are already susceptible to a variety of physical and biological stresses such as heat, drought, flooding, increased salinity, pests, and diseases. These stresses are likely to be exacerbated in places that are hotter and wetter (or dryer) due to climate change.
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