Plant Breeding: Past, Present and Future
The United Nations predicts that the global human population will rise from the 7 billion reached in 2011 to 9 billion by 2050, and that world food production will need to increase between 70 and 100 per cent in just 40 years. Most of this increase will n
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Plant Breeding: Past, Present and Future
Plant Breeding: Past, Present and Future
John E. Bradshaw
Plant Breeding: Past, Present and Future
John E. Bradshaw Edinburgh, UK
ISBN 978-3-319-23284-3 ISBN 978-3-319-23285-0 DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-23285-0
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015951092 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland
Preface
Plant breeders starting work in 2015 will be nearing the end of their careers in 2050. Both years are of significance. The United Nations set eight ambitious Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015, from a 1990 baseline. One was halving extreme poverty rates and included halving the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. The commitment to halve the percentage of hungry people by 2015 has almost been met at the global level and has been achieved by a total of 72 developing countries out of 129, or more than half the countries monitored according to the 2015 report from FAO, IFAD and WFP (2015). The report estimates that about 795 million people (780 million in the developing regions) are undernourished globally, which is a reduction of 167 million over the last decade and 216 million less than in 1990–1992. For the developing regions as a whole, the share of undernourished people in the total population has decreased from 23.3 % in 1990–1992 to 12.9 %. The report concluded that economic growth was a key factor for reducing undernourishment, but had to be inclusive and provide opportunities for improving the livelihoods of the poor. Enhancing the productivity and incomes of smallholder family farmers remains a key to progress. Encouraging as this is, a tremendous amount of work remains to be done to eliminate hunger, and the situation could worsen between 2015 and 2050. The United Nations pre
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