It's time to reconsider food. Around the globe, food problems threaten wildlife, wild places and the planet itself. Today, 7. 3 billion people consume 1. 6 times     1     the earth's natural resources can supply. By 2050, the world's population     2       (reach) 9 billion and the demand for food will double.

So how do we produce more food for more people without     3     (expand) the land and water already in use? We can't double the amount of food.       4     (fortunate), we don't have to—we just have to double the amount of food available now instead.       5     short, we must freeze the footprint of food.

In the near- term, food production is enough to provide for all, but it doesn't reach everyone who needs it. About 1. 3 billion tons of food     6     (waste) each year—four times the amount     7     (need) to feed the more than 800 million people who are     8     (hunger) .

By improving efficiency and productivity while reducing waste and shifting consumption     9     (pattern), we can produce enough food for everyone by 2050 on roughly     10     same amount of land we use now.