Here’s the storyline: By 2050, the United Nations predicts that global population will expand to nearly 10 billion people – an increase of more than 2 billion – which will require a significant increase in the food supply.
In addition to many more people to feed, growers will have fewer acres of farmland to grow that food and less water available to irrigate the crops.
Unfortunately, the people who are working to develop the tools and technology that will help protect the world from the “evil forces” are often villainized.
Monsanto scientists have developed a fall-armyworm resistant maize seed that has been genetically modified to contain a naturally occurring soil bacterium called Bacillus thuringienisis , or Bt, within the plant itself.
There is a large friendly force of us that wants to be able to give them those tools.
There are thousands of researchers at Universities and other public institutions, startups and other private companies who understand that “big ag” isn’t the bad guy – because we’re all on the same team.
I think if we can just get the facts in front of kids at an earlier age – explain the challenges the world is facing and how we’re using science and technology in modern agriculture to create solutions – they’ll get it.
There is nothing on earth more important that making sure future generations have enough food, water and natural resources – and right now, even as we look forward to the next superhero movie release, there is a team of non-fiction heroes working on a noble mission to help save the planet.
We are scientists, farmers and scientific communicators.
We are the real Guardians of the Galaxy.