A few short weeks from now, in Oct­ober, the weeklong World Food Prize event will begin in Des Moines, and many of the "Grand Chal­­lenges" of agriculture will once again receive welcome attention:

1) A near doubling of the world’s population in the next 40 years.

2) A shrinking supply of arable land, accessible water and non-degraded soils.

3) New virulent pests and diseases, which have the capacity to ravage crop and animal production;.

4) Increasing climate variability, resulting in more difficult growing conditions, greater soil erosion and reduced yields.

Given...