As we near the threshold of the 21st century the world is faced with an increasingly
complex challenge of feeding its growing population, while assuring an equitable and
sustainable development. Scientific and technological progress is generating the knowledge
and the tools to make this possible. Nevertheless, the environmental and socio-economic
deterioration that is being confronted in many parts of the world poses an unprecedented
challenge of mobilizing and applying the potential capacity scientific progress has generated,
to the solution of these problems and to generate a sustainable and equitable development
process. The capacity to respond successfully to this situation will have an impact on the well
being of all societies, making it a global issue. And the rapid process of deterioration, with its
long-term and pervasive impacts, gives it a sense of urgency that requires an effective and
collective response.