By 2050, the global population is estimated to increase by nearly 40%, reaching a total of 9.6 billion people. To feed this rapidly growing population, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that the agricultural industry will need to produce 70% more food — however, the suitable and available land for cultivation will only increase by 5% compared to the current amount. This means needing, approximately, an additional 1 billion tons of wheat, rice, and other cereals per year, and 200 million tons of livestock; all being produced essentially on the same amount of land.

This, coupled with increasing regulatory and environmental pressures, represents a tremendous challenge for the global agricultural industry. Since much of the suitable land for cultivation is already used by farmers, this growth must come from agricultural yields higher than current levels.