Introduction

Abstract

Food is essential for life, yet for many, access to adequate food is denied. While the past 50 years have witnessed growth in food production, sustained population growth will continue to increase the global demand for food. Indeed, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) found that 805 million people suffered from chronic hunger from 2012 to 2014, raising concerns about the capacity to feed a projected world population of 9 billion by 2050. When coupled with growing competition for the land and water needed to produce such food, as well as environmental issues and the overarching threat of climate change, the pressing challenge of feeding 9 billion people becomes quite complex.