WASHINGTON, July 24 /EMWNews/ -- Today, leaders from

across the agriculture value chain joined together to form the Alliance for

Abundant Food and Energy, an alliance designed to promote their

understanding that through innovation, agriculture can sustainably meet the

growing global demand for food and renewable forms of energy. Founding

members of the Alliance include the Archer Daniels Midland Company, DuPont,

John Deere, Monsanto and the Renewable Fuels Association.



    "The Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy will underscore the role

that agriculture can play in supporting our food and energy needs," said

Mark Kornblau, executive director, Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy.

"With growing global demand for grain, it's critically important that

policy leaders start thinking about how we can grow our way to a solution.

Innovation is part of the American DNA - through greater support for

agricultural innovation, we can produce enough crops to supply both our

food and energy needs worldwide."



    Recently, critics have tried to frame the debate as an "either/or"

decision, making people feel they must choose between food and energy

security. The Alliance believes this is a false choice that ignores both

the capabilities of agriculture and our nation's history of using

innovation to solve our problems. The Alliance realizes both are possible -

and can be accomplished using less land and fewer resources than generally

understood.



    The companies forming the Alliance are experts in agriculture, from

planted seed to market sale, putting them in a unique position to address

this current concern. Thanks in part to their research and other efforts,

agricultural productivity, particularly in the United States, has increased

consistently for the past 100 years. Families around the world have

benefitted from these innovations as well. Over the last decade, the

world's population grew 13 percent, while farmers were able to meet

increased needs using only six percent more land.



    "The history of agriculture demonstrates constant innovation to meet

the world's needs," said Todd Werpy, vice president, Research, ADM. "For

more than a century, ADM has played a vital role in the chain of

innovation, making hundreds of food, feed, fuel and chemical products from

renewable crops. Increased farm productivity, combined with novel and

improved processing technologies, will allow agriculture to meet our food

needs and make a critical contribution to our energy future."



    "Agriculture mechanization was among the most important breakthroughs

to mankind in the 20th century," said J.B. Penn, Chief Economist, Deere &

Company. "Now, as we face the challenge of better feeding and fueling the

world, the technology designed into machinery, coupled with the ingenuity

of the world's farmers, will have just as significant an impact."



    "Agriculture must be higher on our agenda in a world of increasing food

and energy demands and limited resources," said Jim Borel, Group Vice

President, DuPont. "While there is no single solution to this issue,

technology advancements have, over time, contributed greatly, to increased

food productivity and nutritional quality, while limiting the amount of new

land required for cultivation. And we're only just beginning to realize the

benefit technology innovations can and will have on energy production."



    "Now more than ever before, agriculture is at the intersection of some

of the toughest challenges we face on the planet including both our food

and energy needs," said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., chief technology officer

of Monsanto. "With the world's population expected to reach nine billion

people by 2050, the agriculture industry must act together to meet the

needs for increased food, fiber and energy and while preserving our

environment's resources such as water."



    The Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy



    The Alliance for Abundant Food and Energy brings together a broad group

of visionary companies and organizations committed to sustainably and

responsibly improving diets and reducing dependence on fossil fuels through

agricultural productivity worldwide. More information can be found online,

at http://www.foodandenergy.org.