Global Challenges for the 21st Century: the Role and Strategy of the Agri-Food Sector

Human activity is having an increasing global impact on the environment, geology and ecosystems. There is an 80% probability that world population will increase to between 9.6 billion and 12.3 billion by 2100 and could even reach 10 billion by 2056, 6 years earlier than projected. Historically, global production of food has outpaced consumption growth. This is evidenced by falling real prices of food, however this is now slowing, caused by constraints on supply and continued growth of demand. Paradoxically, as billions suffer food insecurity through lack of food, more than 2 billion people, approximately 30% of the world’s population, are overweight or obese and this percentage continues to grow. It is also estimated that the world will need to close a significant food-gap by 2050, primarily because of continued population growth and changing diets. Increases in temperature of over two degrees Celsius are projected to have a negative impact on global yields of major crops. Agri-food production, including manufacture, food preparation and cooking, accounts for approximately 30% of all greenhouse-gas emissions and livestock production accounts for approximately 50% of this. The agricultural sector will increasingly be driven by these global changes, including a rising world population, rapid development of emerging economies, with western lifestyle aspirations, growing geopolitical instability around shortages of land, water and energy and ‘one health’ issues. However, a technological revolution is taking place, including breakthroughs in nutrition, genetics, informatics, satellite imaging, remote sensing, meteorology, precision farming and low impact agriculture. These changes will hopefully continue to drive major global investment in agricultural technologies. It is of vital importance that countries around the world recognize fully the opportunities and challenges and provide the appropriate framework support, investment and infrastructure...

Global Challenges for the 21st Century: the Role and Strategy of the Agri-Food Sector

Human activity is having an increasing global impact on the environment, geology and ecosystems. There is an 80% probability that world population will increase to between 9.6 billion and 12.3 billion by 2100 and could even reach 10 billion by 2056, 6 years earlier than projected. Historically, global production of food has outpaced consumption growth. This is evidenced by falling real prices of food, however this is now slowing, caused by constraints on supply and continued growth of demand. Paradoxically, as billions suffer food insecurity through lack of food, more than 2 billion people, approximately 30% of the worlds population, are overweight or obese and this percentage continues to grow. It is also estimated that the world will need to close a significant food-gap by 2050, primarily because of continued population growth and changing diets. Increases in temperature of over two degrees Celsius are projected to have a negative impact on global yields of major crops. Agri-food production, including manufacture, food preparation and cooking, accounts for approximately 30% of all greenhouse-gas emissions and livestock production accounts for approximately 50% of this. The agricultural sector will increasingly be driven by these global changes, including a rising world population, rapid development of emerging economies, with western lifestyle aspirations, growing geopolitical instability around shortages of land, water and energy and ‘one health issues. However, a technological revolution is taking place, including breakthroughs in nutrition, genetics, informatics, satellite imaging, remote sensing, meteorology, precision farming and low impact agriculture. These changes will hopefully continue to drive major global investment in agricultural technologies. It is of vital importance that countries around the world recognize fully the opportunities and challenges and provide the appropriate framework support, investment and infrastructure...(AU)

Follicle development and selection: past, present and future

This paper reviews progress that has been made over the last 50 years and discusses how the development and application of new technologies have been utilized to increase our understanding of the development and selection of the dominant follicle. Our increased knowledge from research carried out worldwide, has demonstrated that the development of the dominant follicle, and importantly the production of a good quality oocyte, are controlled by a set of complex and interactive extra- and intra-ovarian control systems, impacted by underlying genetic and external environmental factors, such as nutrition. In totality this has resulted in improvements in fertility, as demonstrated by the impact of diet on oocyte quality and increased pregnancy rates. However, given the increasing global challenges of food security, coupled with climate change, more in-depth understanding of these complex multifactorial control systems will have even greater significance in overcoming today's livestock production challenges, including some that were present over 50 years ago. In conclusion, the continuing development of new technologies, coupled with new knowledge and understanding of these complex control systems, should ensure that ruminant fertility is maximized, while ensuring good animal welfare within sustainable production systems.

Follicle development and selection: past, present and future

This paper reviews progress that has been made over the last 50 years and discusses how the development and application of new technologies have been utilized to increase our understanding of the development and selection of the dominant follicle. Our increased knowledge from research carried out worldwide, has demonstrated that the development of the dominant follicle, and importantly the production of a good quality oocyte, are controlled by a set of complex and interactive extra- and intra-ovarian control systems, impacted by underlying genetic and external environmental factors, such as nutrition. In totality this has resulted in improvements in fertility, as demonstrated by the impact of diet on oocyte quality and increased pregnancy rates. However, given the increasing global challenges of food security, coupled with climate change, more in-depth understanding of these complex multifactorial control systems will have even greater significance in overcoming today's livestock production challenges, including some that were present over 50 years ago. In conclusion, the continuing development of new technologies, coupled with new knowledge and understanding of these complex control systems, should ensure that ruminant fertility is maximized, while ensuring good animal welfare within sustainable production systems.(AU)

Paracrine and autocrine factors in the differentiation of the cumulus-oocyte complex

A better understanding of the paracrine and autocrine regulatory loops within the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) is fundamental for the improvement of in vitro maturation (IVM) outcomes in humans and domestic species. This review presents the most important local regulators identified in the COC to date with special attention to th ose secreted by the oocyte and acting on cumulus cells, as well as their roles in different processes crucial for the successful maturation of the COC. An autocrine re gulatory loop mediated by epidermal growth factor-lik e (EGF-like) peptides in cumulus cells triggers COC maturation. During COC differentiation, oocyte s ecreted factors (OSFs), particularly members of the transforming growth factor-  (TGF  ) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) families, regulate meiotic resumption, cumulus expansion, cumulus metabolism, apoptosis and steroidogenesis.

Paracrine and autocrine factors in the differentiation of the cumulus-oocyte complex

A better understanding of the paracrine and autocrine regulatory loops within the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) is fundamental for the improvement of in vitro maturation (IVM) outcomes in humans and domestic species. This review presents the most important local regulators identified in the COC to date with special attention to th ose secreted by the oocyte and acting on cumulus cells, as well as their roles in different processes crucial for the successful maturation of the COC. An autocrine re gulatory loop mediated by epidermal growth factor-lik e (EGF-like) peptides in cumulus cells triggers COC maturation. During COC differentiation, oocyte s ecreted factors (OSFs), particularly members of the transforming growth factor-  (TGF  ) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) families, regulate meiotic resumption, cumulus expansion, cumulus metabolism, apoptosis and steroidogenesis.(AU)