In 1980 the U.S. population was 226.5 million; by 2015 it reached just over 321 million. By 2050 the U.S. population is projected to reach nearly 400 million. That’s roughly 80 million more mouths to feed. The USDA recently awarded the University of Georgia, Athens $5,000,000 to conduct research into making indoor farming a more feasible solution to this looming crisis. At present operating an indoor farm is comparatively costly. Up to 60% of the cost goes to energy and half of that is for lighting.
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Without pesticides farmers would become nearly impossible to feeding earth’s 7.6 billion inhabitants. One third of our global food supply is pollinated by bees. Researchers at Michigan State University’s entomology department may have found molecular tweaks that can allow Pyrethroid pesticides to kill pests without killing bees.
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Dr. Madelaine Bartlett, a biologist at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, recently received a four-year $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation. The new research funding will allow Barlett and colleagues from UMass and other institutions to study the genes that regulate plant stem cell biology and their effect on fruit size and yield.
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Mechthild Tegeder, a professor of Plant Molecular Physiology at Washington State University, has designed a way to dramatically increase the yield and quality of soybeans. Tegeder accomplished this by developing a novel way to double the amount of nitrogen fixed by the plants. The agricultural research study indicates a breakthrough that could help meet society's need to feed an increasing population while also protecting the environment.
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