Feeding the eight billion people now on earth (a number that will keep increasing for a while) is a work that never stops. Some experts in the past predicted that earth couldn't produce enough. But research and innovation keep increasing global capacity.
Natural waters like rivers and oceans are already producing nearly as much as they have the capacity for. Global fish farming now provides almost as much food as what fishermen can catch.
Inherent problems have to be overcome. Uneaten food and fish waste can pollute the surrounding environment and kill the fish, so cleaning the water is essential. Solids can be collected and processed for fertilizer. Even the ammonia can be removed and used.
All of this problem solving takes money for pipes, pumps and monitoring systems. Technology research looks for ways to make it more efficient so that their product, the fish, is available to consumers at prices they are content to pay.
from The Economist
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