American Family Farmer

MITCH HUNTER is a PhD candidate at Penn State, in agronomy working with Dr. David Mortensen to develop ecologically sound farming systems that are productive, economical, and workable for farmers. He is also pursuing a minor in ecology. His current research focuses on using cover crops to improve cropping system productivity, sustainability, and resilience in the face of challenging climatic conditions.  Food production must double by 2050 to feed the world's growing population. This truism has been repeated so often in recent years that it has become widely accepted among academics, policymakers and farmers, but now researchers are challenging this assertion and suggesting a new vision for the future of agriculture.Research published in Bioscience suggests that production likely will need to increase between 25 percent and 70 percent to meet 2050 food demand.These new findings have important implications for farmers. Lower demand projections may suggest that prices will not rise as much as expected in coming