Who needs a greener revolution?

How do we feed the nine billion people who are projected to inhabit the Earth by 2050? the issue is one of serious concern (ash et al, 2010; Butler, 2010), as an increase in food production of up to 40% will be needed to cope with the growing population. in response, many scientists, politicians and economists have proposed a second ‘green revolution’. their call references the first green revolution of the mid-twentieth century, which allowed many developing countries to drastically increase their food production. according to proponents of a new ‘global greener revo lution’ (ggr), it will require an extensive transformation of agriculture to increase production and improve quality in an equitable and sustainable manner without compromising the environment (godfray et al, 2010). Science and technology will be fundamental to achieving the goals of enhancing crop efficiency and food quality, as well as developing new protein sources (Beddington, 2010).