One of the world’s chief unmet challenges over the next 25 to 30 years will be finding ways to feed people.

The population, expected to number nearly nine billion people, will be demanding 11% to 15% more food than today, even as the amount of per-capita farmland decreases. The picture becomes even more worrisome if it factors in the pressing need to conserve the environment, including water and land resources, together with the impact of climate change.

 
This article describes the outlook for coming years and examines the influence that agrobiotechnology has already had as an alternative for development and agricultural competitiveness in many countries. It also discusses the need for a regulatory framework on biosafety that is consistent with international standards. It then goes on to describe agrobiotechnology trends and constraints in the region and the need for public and private sectors to combine their efforts and invest in the development, adoption and transfer of these technologies.