Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The most innovative minds belong in food production

    When it comes to the latest breakthroughs in technology, none are more important than those discovered in the agriculture sector. In order to feed a continually growing world population, the most creative and innovative minds need to be involved, said James Borel, executive vice president of DuPont.
    "Science can provide universal answers, but we need to find local solutions. We need to ensure that the best minds and the brightest thinkers of the next generation are fully engaged in addressing food security locally," Borel said during the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association's World Forum and Symposium on June 19. "
    With the global population at 7 billion now and forecast to reach 9 billion in 40 years, there is urgency in creating a globally integrated food system that's efficient, transparent, barrier-free and consistent across borders and cultures, Borel said. That can be achieved if the great thinkers of the world involved in science and technology, transportation and government work together to address the challenges that result in hunger.
    Borel said when many people are asked what they view as a world-changing piece of technology, they will hold up an iPhone. Borel disagrees.
    "There's as much technology and there's even more human ingenuity in a modern kernel of seed corn. That corn has something that no iPhone will ever possess. It can feed the world, it can bring the world out of poverty and it can create a better world for all of us," said Borel. "There's so much need for creativity, and as much need for startling world-changing innovation in how we feed the world as there ever could be in the digital world. Food is the great challenge of the 21st century. And make no mistake about it, good ideas and useful innovations travel at the speed of human enthusiasm. We need bright young people to understand how much they can contribute and how rewarding it can be." 

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