9 Billion Served

By the year 2051, more than 9 billion people will call Earth home, and feeding that population will become a major challenge. Wired magazine recently explored possible solutions, including farming with seeds engineered for specific soil and climate types that can resist pests or diseases for greater yield; minimizing waste through a more precise gauge of food safety (often well beyond a package’s sell-by date); apps to match excess food with those in need; and more sensitive environmental detection to help farmers optimize timing of crop planting. Finally, plant-based food sources are less resource-intensive than animal protein production (but meat lovers, never fear — see Warm-up: DIY DNA).