Abstract:
Over the past two centuries, the human population has grown sevenfold and the experts anticipate the addition of
2–3 billion more during the twenty-first century. In the present overview, I take a historical glance at how humans
supported such extraordinary population growth first through the invention of agriculture and more recently through
the rapid deployment of scientific and technological advances in agriculture. I then identify future challenges posed
by continued population growth and climate warming on a finite planet. I end by discussing both how we can meet
such challenges and what stands in the way.
