At the present, agriculture is able to feed the majority of humans. But scientists are becoming very concerned that this will not be the case when we have 8 billion people on the planet in about 20 years time. Failure to feed 8 billion people in a sustainable way will lead to enormous environmental damage, social dislocation and reduced economic growth that will affect the whole world.

Scientists, gathered at the 3rd International Crop Science Congress, alert the society and policymakers to take action on the following concerns:

---The lack of awareness on the gravity of food security and poverty issues for the next 20 years on the global level.
---The urgency of protecting genetic resources and biodiversity.
---The scarcity and degradation of natural resources, such as land and water.

Strengthening agricultural research and education at national and international level is a prerequisite to fulfill future human needs. We believe there are grounds for cautious hope in our ability to feed ourselves via improved education , modern technological developments and most importantly a shared appreciation of the problem. Failure of the world's agricultural scientists to communicate this message would be an abandonment of one of their most important professional and ethical obligations.

The third International Crop Science Congress highlighted the fact that sustainable development of plant production and resource conservation is essential for achieving and maintaining food security. This requires a better and more comprehensive insight into ecologically sound crop production processes, especially in fragile environments and resource-poor countries.

The participants at the 3rd International Crop Science Congress decided to foster the necessary dialogue on the potential contributions of new technologies, such as molecular biology and gene technology, to production agriculture and resource use management. Science-based knowledge is essential for a well-informed dialogue and for an effective policy and regulation of new technologies.

APPENDIX TO THE DECLARATION OF HAMBURG

Concerns and prospects:

1. Crop sciences provide the key-knowledge base for increasing the production and quality of human food, animal feed and bio mass for industrial use and the provision of energy. Crop sciences play a vital role in improving the quality of life for all human beings by producing food and renewable resources in a sustainable and safe way that meets the needs and the standards of the Global Village.

2. Food security continues to be a growing concern globally, due to widespread poverty and the need for more and better quality food for a fast growing population, particularly in developing countries. The world's food supply depends in many regions on the availability of land and water, which is becoming increasingly scarce as demands for it increase. Water saving strategies and a better adaptation of crops to limited water and nutrient availability in semi-arid regions are key issues for research.

3. To overcome the large losses due to pests and weeds and to reduce the use of pesticides and herbicides, advanced technologies for integrated crop management and ecologically based sustainable cropping systems should become available.

4. When developing new crops and cropping systems knowledge of genetic resources and plant-biotechnology should be developed and applied with a focus on sustainable and efficient plant production. An integrated and multi disciplinary approach to crop science is needed for innovations and improvements in agricultural production and resource conservation at the field, farm/household, regional and global level.

5. To meet the concerns of society, participation of scientists in the public debate on the potential benefits and risks of the application of modern technologies should be encouraged by all public and private research organizations.

6. For the sake of human health, a high priority should be given to improvement of the quality and monitoring of the safety of human food and animal feed throughout the production, storage, processing and delivery chain of plant produce.

7. To bridge the gap in knowledge and modern technologies between developed and developing countries, more financial resources should be made available for education, training, access to public and private research as well as for technology transfer.

8. To strengthen the role of farmers in the stewardship of the rural landscape, natural resources and environment, more emphasis should be given in research and education to forms of land use other than agricultural production.

9. To foster a greater understanding of environmental impacts, and to promote efficient resource use, knowledge and research tools in crop science should be combined with advances in information and communication technologies, such as GIS and DSS.

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