Food Security Issue Loomed Large at Science Meet

Food security issue received prominence across the sections of space scientists, forestry experts, agriculturists and zoologists participating in 97th Indian Science Congress .The event took place at Thiruvananthapuram in the first week of January 2010.

Former ISRO chairperson Prof U.R. Rao addressed the space summit on 04 January 2010, emphasising that space science must address the issue of food security.This could be possible if space technology along with biological inputs is applied to start a new green revolution.

Agricultural scientist M.S.Swaminathan said food security would be in danger because of climate change. A rise in global temperature will bring the production of wheat down to 44% by the year 2050. For every one degree Celsius rise, the wheat production will decrease by six million tonnes per year.

M.S. Swaminathan added that various measures like gene bank, seed bank, grain bank and common water resources have been developed to overcome the food crisis.