This is a guest post composed at the NSF Science: Becoming the Messenger Workshop at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL) by Vicki Miller, Office of Research and Economic Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

I grew up in rural Nebraska amid friends and family who tilled the soil, grew crops and raised livestock. Low farm prices and over production were the pressing issues. Food was abundant and cheap. No one thought much about the whys and hows of this abundance and there was much talk on the farm about America’s so-called “cheap food policy.”

We didn’t think much about it at the time but, it turns out, this abundance was fueled by science. Agricultural research spawned improved crops and technologies that spawned the “green revolution” and expanded ag production worldwide. University of Nebraska-Lincoln agronomist Ken Cassman says that, by the late 20th century, food was plentiful and inexpensive partly because of scientific advancements made decades earlier.

Those days of plenty could become a thing of the past. Food security – producing enough food to feed a rapidly expanding population – is shaping up as one of the 21^st century’s most critical challenges. Scientific research will again be at the heart of the solution.

The stakes are high and the issues are complex. As an agronomist, Cassman has spent his career working on issues related to food security. These days he keenly focused on what kinds of agricultural research will produce the most bang for the investment of time and money. He chairs a council of scientists that advises an international ag research centers – the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, known as CGIAR – on global agricultural research projects.

While Cassman doesn’t buy the doomsday predictions that a global food crisis is inevitable, he says science must play a leading role. And researchers must make wise choices about the most critical issues to address.

The stakes have never been higher for the next green revolution. As a former farm kid and a science communicator, I’m betting on the power of science and the ingenuity of farmers to find ways to keep food on the global table.