title: Planting seeds for the future of food.
abstract: The health and wellbeing of future generations will depend on humankind's ability to deliver sufficient nutritious food to a world population in excess of 9 billion. Feeding this many people by 2050 will require science-based solutions that address sustainable agricultural productivity and enable healthful dietary patterns in a more globally equitable way. This topic was the focus of a multi-disciplinary international conference hosted by Nestlé in June 2015, and provides the inspiration for the present article. The conference brought together a diverse range of expertise and organisations from the developing and industrialised world, all with a common interest in safeguarding the future of food. This article provides a snapshot of three of the recurring topics that were discussed during this conference: soil health, plant science and the future of farming practice. Crop plants and their cultivation are the fundamental building blocks for a food secure world. Whether these are grown for food or feed for livestock, they are the foundation of food and nutrient security. Many of the challenges for the future of food will be faced where the crops are grown: on the farm. Farmers need to plant the right crops and create the right conditions to maximise productivity (yield) and quality (e.g. nutritional content), whilst maintaining the environment, and earning a living. New advances in science and technology can provide the tools and know-how that will, together with a more entrepreneurial approach, help farmers to meet the inexorable demand for the sustainable production of nutritious foods for future generations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Health and Wellness and Sustainability, Nestec SA, Vevey, CH1800, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Nestlé Research and Development Centre, Tours, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Broun
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Istanbul, 34956, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ismail
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cakmak
authors.affiliation: Bayer CropScience AG, 40789, Monheim am Rhein, Germany.
authors.forename: Liam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Condon
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Penn State University, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fedoroff
authors.affiliation: Syngenta International AG, Basel, CH, 4058, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Valero
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Centre for Novel Agricultural Products, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Rothamsted Research, West Common, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, AL5 2JQ, UK.
authors.forename: Josette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.affiliation: World Food Center, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moloney
authors.affiliation: Global Institute for Food Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 4J8.
authors.forename: Ruth K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Oniang'o
authors.affiliation: Rural Outreach Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: Nteranya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sanginga
authors.affiliation: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), P.M.B. 5320, Oyo Road, Ibadan, Nigeria.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shewry
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Health and Wellness and Sustainability, Nestec SA, Vevey, CH1800, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roulin
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends*; D001901:Botany / Q000639:trends; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D018556:Crops, Agricultural / Q000254:growth & development; D005523:Food Supply / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000032:analysis; D009753:Nutritive Value; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients; D012987:Soil
keywords: agriculture; food security; nutrition security; plant science; soil; sustainability