Guest Columnist
We've previously discussed the fact that our food supply has to double by 2050 in order to feed the expected 8B+ population. There are, however, several problems in achieving this goal.
First is the fact that we're already using all but roughly 3% of the land suitable for agriculture production. Also, we lose around 3M acres of top soil every year due to wind and water erosion.
Then, depending on whether you believe it, there's the problem of climate warming. So, how do we provide the needed food? The bottom line here appears to be that we don't really know how we'll do it; only that we must do it or starve, which could lead to wars on a scale never before seen.
There are some possibilities, if we can find the key to making them work. For example, vegetable/fruit plants that flower have stem cells. These stem cells, located at the plant tip, can develop into more stem, flowers, or fruit, including the size of the fruit. Efforts are underway to "train" these stem cells to produce more of whatever cells are needed; perhaps more vegetables, particularly bigger and better ones. Though scientists have barely scratched the surface on how to direct the stem cells, it is believed that in the not-to-distant future, it would be possible to increase the fruit amount, size, and sugar content.
Another possibility, recently discussed, is to control the DNA of plants that appear to have some form of intelligence; intelligence that we do not as yet understand, but can observe. If the intelligence, or whatever it is, can be controlled and thus modified, plants could be induced to grow more, bigger and better vegetables and fruit.
Unfortunately, for now, though this future problem is very well understood, adequate solutions are not currently available.
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