Background

Agriculture is the indispensable base of human society and the nature and productivity of agriculture is determined by land, water, climate, management and agricultural research. Only 29% of the earth’s surface is land and only a little over a third of that is suitable for agriculture; the rest is ice, desert, forest or mountain and is unsuitable for farming. More simply stated, only 10% of the surface of the earth has topographical and climatic conditions suitable for producing the food requirements of human beings. Today, 75% of the world’s 6.6 billion people live in the developing world where most of the world’s existing poverty is concentrated.

C4 Photosynthesis

Plants fix carbon dioxide (CO2) into sugar using sunlight as the source of energy. This fixed carbon makes up the bulk of the plant itself – roots, stems, leaves, flowers - and the sugars or starches that are stored in the seeds or fruits that we harvest for food.