How will we feed a hungry planet without soil science?

A solution to increasing food productivity is already in the ground — naturally occurring microbes can enrich the soil and help tackle hunger, writes Esther Ngumbi.

According to the UN, sometime around 2050, the planet’s human population will be close to 10 billion, a threshold that will stress many of the world’s most important systems, especially agriculture. How will farmers, including poor growers in developing countries, increase crop productivity to meet growing food demand?

Feeding the world efficiently will not be easy, and intangibles such as climate change, violent conflict, and the availability of fresh water will complicate it further. New farming techniques that use data and drones to monitor crop health will help. However, one of the most powerful methods for increasing yields sustainably will come from leveraging what is already in the ground.