The future of the world food system

On entering the twenty-first century, the world agricultural and food syste m is undergoing remarkable change. For agribusiness to engage successfully in this emerging system, an understanding of the drivers of this change is essential. Agricultural production and processing are resource-intensive. H ence, societal desires for enhanced environmental quality, often through go vernment regulations, constitute a key driver of change. A second key drive r is the industrialization of agriculture as farming shifts from a rural li festyle to an agribusiness sector with a supply chain mentality. Third, fir ms that can effectively ' link ' the food chain and add value will benefit economically. Historically, farmers produced bulk commodities, but increasi ngly the market is demanding differentiated, specific-attribute products. B iotechnology is accelerating this trend. Also, agriculture is becoming incr easingly knowledge-intensive with the evolution of site-specific and inform ation-based decision systems. Ultimately, consumer food demand and global m arkets will determine the demand for products from livestock and crop produ ction systems.