The inaugural lecture: Agriculture and the modern society

"Good evening. This is the 6 o'clock news for today June 4th 2017. The eight billionth human was today born in Burkina Faso, to the parents of one child in the village of Donsin. Planet Earth, though, now supports 16% more people than it did at the beginning of this century. The United Nations, marking this occasion, referred to the monumental changes in research and policy implemented at the end of the 20th century which permit the eight billionth human to enjoy the promises of health, education, rural development and ... "