Abstract

Food and agriculture are crucial to keep the population well-fed, but according to statistics, the world population will be 9–10 billion people in 2050, requiring the increase of 25–70% more food than the current capabilities of food production, projecting that global food demand must double by 2050. Also, an incomplete food source, i.e., lacking or with insufficient micronutrients, affects almost three billion of the world's population and may result in incomplete physical or cognitive development. Agricultural sustainability, namely the physical and economic access to assure enough safe and nutritious food and water to fulfill dietary and cultural needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet these needs, has been one of the biggest challenges that modern agriculture must overcome. Several technologies can help us to achieve affordable and sustainable agriculture by increasing crop yields, enhancing plant resistance against microorganisms and insects, improving root targeting and delivery of fertilizers, and increasing the quality and quantity of nutrients within the crop food, among other improvements. These properties may be given by the genetic modification of the crop plant, by the application of nanomaterials and nanoparticles, or a combination of the two technologies; both are under scrutiny and concern by governments and society because there is not enough information on the consequences associated with the use of both, in terms of the environmental impact, at present and in the future, and the effect on the ecosystem. Because of this, a concerted effort between authorities, government, private, and public institutions must be done to use and accept these technologies to be able to fulfill the food requirements.