GLOBAL food security and how to meet the food demands of the burgeoning population in the next century is an issue facing agriculturists the world over. Food requirement projections for 2025 are alarming. Unless current agricultural techniques are modified and improved upon, it may be a Herculean task to meet future demands. This was stated at the first International Congress on Agronomy, Environment and Food Security for the 21st Century, held in Delhi recently. The meet was organised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ([CAR).

R S Paroda, director-general of the ICAR, admitted that solutions for the developing world were not going to be easy. "The challenges facing Indian agriculture are more daunting as research is not geared towards meeting future challenges," warned Paroda.