http://www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com The most accessed research articles published by Agriculture & Food Security 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z In 2012, food insecurity is still a major global concern as 1 billion people are suffering from starvation, under-, and malnutrition, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has concluded that we are still far from reaching millennium development goal (MDG) number 1: to halve extreme poverty and hunger by 2015. In sub-Saharan Africa, the number of people suffering from hunger is estimated at 239 million, and this figure could increase in the near future.There are many examples of food insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, some of them having reached catastrophic dimensions, for example, in the Horn of Africa or southern Madagascar. Food insecurity is not just about insufficient food production, availability, and intake, it is also about the poor quality or nutritional value of the food. The detrimental situation of women and children is particularly serious, as well as the situation among female teenagers, who receive less food than their male counterparts in the same households.Soaring food prices and food riots are among the many symptoms of the prevailing food crisis and insecurity. Climate change and weather vagaries, present and forecast, are generally compounding food insecurity and drastically changing farming activities, as diagnosed by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in June 2011.The key cause of food insecurity is inadequate food production. Since the global food crisis of 2007–2008, there has been an increasing awareness throughout the world that we must produce more and better food; and we should not be derailed from this goal, despite some relief brought by the good cereal harvests in 2011–2012. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, which needs and wants to make its own green revolution.The African challenge indeed is key to mitigating food insecurity in the world. Commitments were made by the heads of states and governments of the African Union to double the part of their domestic budgets devoted to agriculture in 2010–2011, so as to reach 10%. Technical solutions exist and there are indeed, throughout Africa, good examples of higher-yielding and sustainable agriculture. But good practices have to spread throughout the continent, while at the same time social and economic measures, as well as political will, are indispensable ingredients of Africa’s green revolution. It is also necessary that international donors fulfil their commitment to help African farmers and rural communities and protect them against unfair trade, competition, and dumping of cheap agrifood products from overseas. http://www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com/content/1/1/2 Albert Sasson Agriculture & Food Security 2012, null:2 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/2048-7010-1-2 /content/figures/2048-7010-1-2-toc.gif Agriculture & Food Security 2048-7010 ${item.volume} 2 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z XML Ensuring food security for the worlds population over the coming decades will face the challenges of a larger world population, greater urbanization, limited natural resources, higher levels of income, and stronger links between the agricultural and biofuel markets. Overcoming the challenges these represent will require, among other efforts, promoting sustainable expansion of agricultural production through higher productivity and greater cropping intensity. In this paper, we examine the role of Brazils agriculture industry in the domestic and world markets; first, we review the countrys agricultural development experience, and second, we address some key issues that will play a pivotal role in Brazilian agriculture in the future. The paper highlights the main aspects of the modernization process experienced by Brazils national agriculture industry, presents the style of agricultural growth followed by the country, and discusses selected technologies that have played a major role in transforming the sector over the past four decades. We also analyze income from different farm sizes, and provide an overview of key agricultural research challenges and technologies that will be pursued by Brazil in the near future. http://www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com/content/1/1/4 Pedro Pereira Geraldo Martha Carlos Santana Eliseu Alves Agriculture & Food Security 2012, null:4 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/2048-7010-1-4 /content/figures/2048-7010-1-4-toc.gif Agriculture & Food Security 2048-7010 ${item.volume} 4 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z XML The planet earth, on which we live in communities, is being increasingly 'ruptured' because of human activities; its carrying capacity is under great stress because of demographic pressures. The pressure is especially affecting the people living in the dry areas because of the marginal and fragile nature of the resources they have access to. There are over 2,000 million hectares of land that have been degraded, with a loss of agrobiodiversity, increased water scarcity and increased natural resource destruction. Superimposed on this is the fact that the neglectful and exploitive use of natural resources has set the train of global climate change in motion.It is anticipated that the impact of climate change will cut across all boundaries. Crops, cropping systems, rotations and biota will undergo transformation. To maintain the balance in the system, there is a need for new knowledge, alternative policies and institutional changes. The marginalized people in dry areas are likely to be most seriously hit by the shifts in moisture and temperature regimes as a result of the global climate change. To help them cope with the challenges, there is a need for a new paradigm in agricultural research and technology transfer that makes full use of modern science and technology in conjunction with traditional knowledge. This necessitates more investment by international agencies and national governments for supporting the relevant integrated research and sustainable development efforts, with full participation of the target communities. Only such an approach can enable the vulnerable communities of the dryland areas to use the natural resources in a sustainable manner and thus help protect the environment for future generations.The clock is ticking and the future of the world lies in the collective responsibility and wisdom of all nations on this planet. This should be reflected in the endorsement of a solid future plan. http://www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com/content/1/1/3 Adel El-Beltagy Magdy Madkour Agriculture & Food Security 2012, null:3 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/2048-7010-1-3 /content/figures/2048-7010-1-3-toc.gif Agriculture & Food Security 2048-7010 ${item.volume} 3 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z XML Senior scientists from many countries have come togetherto meet the need for an open access research journal thatfocuses explicitly on agriculture, the condition of food securityand the critical linkages between these topics. In the21st century, we recognize the dual role of agriculture asour species' lifeline for food and essential materials, as wellas the dominant form of terrestrial planetary care, and thejournal will facilitate the dissemination of information inthis vitally important area of research. http://www.agricultureandfoodsecurity.com/content/1/1/1 Malcolm Elliott Molly Jahn Magdy Madkour Agriculture & Food Security 2012, null:1 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/2048-7010-1-1 /content/figures/2048-7010-1-1-toc.gif Agriculture & Food Security 2048-7010 ${item.volume} 1 2012-04-19T00:00:00Z XML