Precision conservation for environmental sustainability

With continued population growth and increasing demands on water resources, precision conservation will have an increasing role during this new millennium. It has been reported that world population is expected to be about 9.4 billion by 2050, and that increases in crop yields will have to be achieved primarily from land that is currently under production since most of the world9s arable land is already being cultivated. These increases in population growth and food and water demands will put increasing pressure for development of new more efficient technology and production practices that contribute to higher yields. Since intensive farming can potentially impact soil and water quality, parallel increases in new practices and technology contributing to improved soil and water conservation practices will be needed to help sustain and maintain the needed yield increases from agricultural systems.