With the human population set to reach 10 billion by the year 2050, we will need to produce 50-100% more food to meet the basic nutritional requirements of our growing population.

Given that agriculture currently accounts for 50% of arable land use, and 70% of fresh water use, this goal is impossible to meet using conventional farming techniques. Additionally, climate change is posing an increasing challenging to reliably grow crops due to erratic weather conditions, increasing temperatures, and higher pathogen and pest pressure.