While scientific advances have so far been able to dribble the prediction made in the eighteenth century by the British economist Thomas Malthus – that population grows faster than food production –, a new concept, now in vogue in livestock production and agriculture, promises long life to the balance between food supply and demand – all of which despite significant estimates of growth of the Earth's population until 2050.

That is the concept of sustainable intensification, which can be translated as producing more, with increased efficiency and diversification in the same space while managing soil and water resources in a sustainable manner. As a practice, sustainable intensification has been presented as a viable alternative so that mankind can continue to produce food and reach record productivity rates while protecting the environment and reducing the harmful effects of human actions on the planet. The details can be verified in the cover story in this issue of XXI – Science for life magazine.

As it is a finite resource, water is also the topic of the interview with the agricultural engineer Luís Henrique Bassoi. He shows us that agriculture is not the villain of the water crisis, as it is usually pointed out. Bassoi brings data on irrigation and water resource management. Such interview reinforces the special report published on the eighth edition of this publication, which addressed agricultural best practices and technologies whose results target the rational management of water resources. It is an issue worth reading, and it is available here. 

Agribusiness research also signals good tidings with health care. Plants, animals, and microorganisms can be used as biological factories for the production of molecules with high added value, acting in a positive way in treatments against cancer, AIDS, and hemophilia, among other diseases. Brazilian researchers and American and British partners have shown that genetically modified soybeans are efficient and viable biofactories for large-scale production of cyanovirin, a protein that has the natural ability to bind itself to sugars, preventing the multiplication of the HIV virus in humans. Spanish researchers, with the help of their Brazilian counterparts, have developed transgenic rice containing the HIV molecule in their DNA. This is an example of agriculture reaffirming itself as an ally of the pharmaceutical industry. To better understand this partnership, read the story on "Biological Factories".

Scientists are sure that these advances open prospects for better quality of life for the population. But the ordinary citizen is not always convinced. New technologies still generate distrust, especially those resulting from biotechnological processes, as Adriana Brondani, from the Brazilian Council for Biotechnology Information (CIB), wrote in an article for this issue commenting on recent opinion polls. Democratizing knowledge is indeed a necessity, and it was a great stimulus for us in this issue of the XXI – Science for life magazine. 

Elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) reveal new possibilities of use. Elephant grass can supply boilers and generate energy. It also serves as raw material for cellulosic ethanol, also known as 2nd generation ethanol. African oil palm bunches have nanofibers with such high mechanical resistance as to mimic certain metals. Researchers want to test them as reinforcement for natural rubber. Check out these discoveries in this issue. Enjoy your reading!

The editors