April 17, 2019: Webinar Video ‘Food and Agriculture in the 21st Century’

• Recorded April 17, 2019
• Presented by Robert A. Easter, PhD., President Emeritus University of Illinois

Most predictions suggest that the population of the earth will likely increase by about 2 billion people by 2050 and prompts the question, “Will there be enough food?” This typically leads to a discussion of the need to grow more plant-based foods. Although clearly necessary that in itself will be insufficient if current trends continue. A significant portion of the increase is driven by increasing global demand for animal protein and the need grow animal feed stuffs. Missing is discussion of the opportunity to increase efficiency of animal production. Also relevant is the need to reduce the portion of foodstuffs (plant, animal and marine) that are lost due to inadequate process and storage technologies. And, finally, it is critical to maintain the capacity of existing natural resources (soil and water in particular) to support high-yield crop production. The webinar will provide one-person’s perspective on these issues.