Seguridad alimentaria mundial: el papel de las ciencias biológicas

The world's population has risen at an alarming rate in recent decades and is expected to exceed 9.700 and 11.000 million by the middle and the end of the century, respectively. This growth will be unequal in the different regions, and higher in the poorest ones. It is not surprising, therefore, that many voices are heard warning of a possible lack of food. However, new biological and agricultural technologies have made food production grow at a faster rate than that of the population: while food production in 1960 was less than 2.200 kcal per person per day, in 2000 exceeded 2.700 kcal. However, more than 815 million people are starving in the world, and unfortunately in 2016 the downward trend of previous years has been broken. Of course, the problem is not food production but distribution of wealth and political decisions.