Harvard’s Bionic Leaf Could Feed the World

February 12, 2018 | The Harvard Gazette

As the global population rises toward 10 billion, the planet is headed for a food shortage, with some estimates saying supply will have to double by 2050 to meet demand.

The continued advance of agricultural technology — genetic modification along with new crop varieties and land-management techniques — will cover some of the increased demand. But such technologies will require a dramatic increase in the production of agricultural fertilizers, an energy-intensive process fed by fossil fuels and reliant on a robust manufacturing infrastructure: factories connected to rail and road networks for distribution. Read More