Overview

Food & Agriculture focuses on the tools and technologies impacting how we feed the Earth’s people and animals. Engineering biology provides unique means and opportunities to support growing populations with more and different types of food, address changes to food security, diet, and demand, and reduce the impact of climate change and urban growth in a sustainable manner. Increasing challenges from biotic and abiotic stresses also significantly impact agricultural productivity and health. Concepts include increasing yield and sustainable productivity, while reducing the consumption of resources, including land, water, fertilizers, and pesticides. Achieving these Aims and Objectives will help to meet increased demands for nutrient-rich foods and healthy food animals.

Societal Challenges & Science/Engineering Aims

Produce more food for a growing global population.

These Science and Engineering Aims are designed to help overcome the identified Societal Challenge:

• Improve agricultural yields by increasing crop efficiency and production.

• Increase the availability and consistency of agricultural crop production by combating stressors and expanding consumable species.

• Improve the production and yield of meat from livestock and fish.

• Enable and advance the production and availability of non-vertebrate animal food sources.

• Improve production of “clean meat”.

• Advance the quality of plant-based meat products and improve large-scale manufacturing capabilities.

• Engineer microorganisms for nutrient production.

Increase and improve the nutritional content and value of food.

These Science and Engineering Aims are designed to help overcome the identified Societal Challenge:

• Increase the nutrient content in agricultural crops.

• Improve the healthiness of agricultural crops by enabling the reduction and elimination of toxins.

• Increase the nutrient content and value from animal food sources.