Skip to main content

Abstract

The human population increases by between 93 to 95 million people annually and it is estimated that it will be about 8 billion by 2020 (Gore, 1993). As a result, there is a growing concern for the total world environment and the realisation that food production must be markedly increased during the next century. The optimistic view is that as nations become wealthier, they experience general economic security, improved education, and falling birthrates. If present trends continue, we can project a human population of about 11 billion in the next 100 years. This may not be the most ideal global community but the situation does demand that we find solutions to the various problems. The most fundamental problem will be feeding a population of this size.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 259.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 329.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rolfe, B.G. et al. (1998). Round Table: Agriculture 2020: 8 Billion People. In: Elmerich, C., Kondorosi, A., Newton, W.E. (eds) Biological Nitrogen Fixation for the 21st Century. Current Plant Science and Biotechnology in Agriculture, vol 31. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5159-7_435

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-5159-7_435

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6169-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-5159-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics