four major innovations fed the growing population in 1900s

mechanisation and irrigation

pesticides
synthetic fertiliser
plant breeding (high yield corn/rice)
these allowed more food to be produced on less land
however these innovations are now mostly exhausted and the population is still increasing

problems:
population increasing
people living for longer due to better healthcare so more food required
cropland not used efficiently in affluent areas (dairy/meat production less productive than grain)
food distrubution is poor - enough food to feed everyone
diet gap - wealthier nations consume protein rich food
yields in developing areas (africa) are poor due to nutrient or water management and no increase
targets for 2050:
reduce biodiversity loss that could lead to new crops
reduce water pollution and loss
reduce greenhouse gas emissions
our crops come from equatorial regions but have been bred to be pleasant to eat (toxins removed)
this reduces the genetic diversity hugely as traits are lost e.g. disease resistance
95% of food and feed comes from 10 species
DNA sequencing technology allows development of tools to manage traits and genes
molecular markers can identify genes and speed up breeding
orphan crops: crops in developing countries that are vital but not improved (unlike in developed
countries) as technology does not exist
GM better than breeding:
- genes can be chosen which give innate immunity
- stacked genes (less risk of pathogen resistance)
- no linkage drag (bad genes brought through with good genes)
molecular breeding & genetic engineering need to make a massive contribution to double food
production by 2050