MAY 2015 THINKING LIKE A DOLPHIN UNDERSTANDING ONE OF THE SMARTEST CREATURES ON EARTH DETROIT: FUELING THE IMAGINATION HOW TO BUILD A BETTER BEE
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY In Laos, critics of a planned hydroelectric dam say it will block fish migration on the Mekong River, where this fisherman plies his trade. 30 It’s Time for a Conversation When one of Earth’s smartest creatures vocalizes, it fuels a heated debate among scientists: Are dolphins actually speaking a complex language? By Joshua Foer Photographs by Brian Skerry 56 Taking Back Detroit With its bankruptcy in the rearview mirror, the Motor City is attracting investors, innovators, and adventurous would-be fixers. By Susan Ager Photographs by Wayne Lawrence 84 Quest for a Superbee Honeybees top the list of insect pollinators on which one-third of food crops depend. Can we breed a hardier bee? By Charles C. Mann Photographs by Anand Varma Harnessing the Mekong Running for more than 2,600 miles, the Mekong River produces fish when it flows free and clean electricity when it’s dammed. Therein lies Southeast Asia’s dilemma. By Michelle Nijhuis Photographs by David Guttenfelder 102 130 Proof | Walking the Way A pilgrimage through France and Spain is “an ancient tradition thriving in a modern world.” Story and Photographs by Michael George On the Cover Scientists working with bottlenose dolphins (this one lives at a Vallejo, California, animal park) are looking for a link between the animals’ many vocalizations and their behaviors. Photo by Brian Skerry Corrections and Clarifications Go to ngm.com/more. MAY 2015 VOL. 227 • NO. 5
Detroit FROM THE EDITOR PHOTO: GOLDBERG FAMILY COLLECTION Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief Going Home In 1932 at age five, Jeannette Goldberg— the editor’s mother— posed with her own mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother in Detroit. I’m crisscrossing a careworn street on Detroit’s west side, looking at the house where my mother lived in the 1930s. I walk up driveways, down sidewalks, peer around bushes. A neighbor, understandably curious, bounds over. “I’m the king of Glendale,” Keith Harris says. Harris loves Glendale Street—so much so that he’s purchased nine properties for $42,000. That sum got him six houses in varying states of repair and three empty lots. “I’m not done yet,” he says. “I’m going to buy more and rent them.” I’m glad to hear this. Glendale could use more investment. So could Tuxedo Street, a few blocks away, where my father grew up. So could Detroit. I’ve seen all the ruin-porn photos. Now I’ve come to see for myself what’s happened to what was America’s fifth largest city circa 1950. Then there were more than 1.8 million residents; now there are fewer than 700,000. This is where my family settled after immigrating to the United States in the 1920s, moving into neighborhoods filled with people just like them. The handwritten 1940 census page for Tuxedo Street literally illustrates the story: It shows a long list of Jewish names (Goldberg, Cohen, Barsky, Leventen) and the places from which Jews fled (Russia, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Russia, Russia). The neighborhood was so insular that when my American-born mother went to kindergarten, she couldn’t speak English, only Yiddish. Those families don’t live here anymore. They are gone, along with the elm trees that once shaded these streets. The improbably named Bowl-O-Drome is now a CVS. Some houses have become empty lots. Others, burned-out hulks. But some are tidy symbols of survival and pride. Keith Harris owns one of those homes. “We have cleanup-the-block day,” he tells me. “We are trying to make it better.” Visitors like me walk these streets all the time, he says. “Some people came and cried like babies.” Maybe they shouldn’t have. Though much is gone and more has changed, there are seeds of hope across the city, as writer Susan Ager and photographer Wayne Lawrence discovered while documenting the diversity of the new Detroit for this issue. Harris has planted some of those seeds. “We invest in this block,” he says, “because we want to stay
INTRO ANNUAL FEE OF $0 THE FIRST YEAR, THEN $95 Purchase and balance transfer APR is 15.99% variable. Cash advances and overdraft advances APR is 19.24% variable. Penalty APR of up to 29.99% variable. 7BSJBCMF"13TDIBOHFXJUI UIF NBSLFU CBTFE PO UIF 1SJNF3BUF XIJDIXBTPO"OOVBMGFFJOUSPEVDUPSZGFF UIFmSTUZFBS"GUFS UIBU .JOJNVN Interest Charge: None. Balance Transfer Fee: 3% of the amount of each transaction, but not less than $5. Note: This account may not be eligible for balance transfers. Cash Advance Fee: 5% of the amount of each advance, but not less than $10. Foreign Transaction Fee: None. Credit cards are issued by Chase Bank USA, N.A. Subject to credit approval. To obtain additional information on the current terms and information on any changes to these terms after the date above, please visit chase.com/sapphire. You must have a valid permanent home address within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Restrictions and limitations apply. Offer TVCKFDU UPDIBOHFª+1.PSHBO $IBTF$P No foreign transaction fees 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants Learn more at chase.com/sapphire Chase Sapphire Preferred® SO YOU CAN Rent a motorbike in Milan Head for Cinque Terre Walk along the Via dell’Amore Seal your love with a padlock on the bridge And discover the thrill of cliffside dining
national geographic • May The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit membership organization. We inspire through exploration, illuminate through stories, and, always, teach. CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Chris Johns EDITOR IN CHIEF Susan Goldberg MANAGING EDITOR: David Brindley. EXECUTIVE EDITOR ENVIRONMENT: Dennis R. Dimick. DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Sarah Leen. EXECUTIVE EDITOR NEWS AND FEATURES: David Lindsey. EXECUTIVE EDITOR SCIENCE: Jamie Shreeve. EXECUTIVE EDITOR CARTOGRAPHY, ART AND GRAPHICS: Kaitlin M. Yarnall NEWS/FEATURES DIGITAL NEWS DIRECTOR: Dan Gilgoff. SHORT-FORM DIRECTOR: Margaret G. Zackowitz. EDITORS: Marla Cone, Patricia Edmonds, Erika Engelhaupt, Peter Gwin, John Hoeffel, Wendy Koch, Robert Kunzig, Glenn Oeland, Oliver Payne. WRITERS: Jeremy Berlin, Eve Conant, Christine Dell’Amore, Brian Clark Howard, Jane J. Lee, Cathy Newman, Christina Nunez, Laura Parker, Rachel Hartigan Shea, Daniel Stone, A. R. Williams, Catherine Zuckerman. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Robert Draper, Cynthia Gorney, David Quammen, Craig Welch. SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS: Bryan Christy. ADMINISTRATION: Lynn Feldmann, Becky Little PHOTOGRAPHY DEPUTY DIRECTORS: Ken Geiger (Technology), Whitney C. Johnson (Magazine). BUSINESS MANAGER: Jenny Trucano. SENIOR PHOTO EDITORS: Kathy Moran (Natural History), Kurt Mutchler (Science); Kim Hubbard, Todd James, Elizabeth Krist, Sadie Quarrier, Jessie Wender. PHOTO EDITOR: Adrian Coakley. EDITOR AT LARGE: Michael Nichols. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS: Rebecca Hale, Mark Thiessen. RESEARCHER: Mary McPeak. DIGITAL IMAGING: Edward Samuel. PHOTO ENGINEERING: David Mathews, Kenji Yamaguchi. RIGHTS MANAGER: Elizabeth Grady. PHOTOGRAPHY FELLOWS: David Guttenfelder, Lynn Johnson, Paul Nicklen, Cory Richards, Brian Skerry. ADMINISTRATION: Edward Benfield, Melody Rowell, Jake Rutherford, Elena Sheveiko, Jenna Turner, Joey Wolfkill DESIGN DESIGN DIRECTOR: David Whitmore. SENIOR DESIGN EDITORS: John Baxter, Elaine H. Bradley, Hannah Tak. DESIGN SPECIALISTS: Scott Burkhard, Betty Clayman-DeAtley, Sandi Owatverot-Nuzzo. ADMINISTRATION: Cinde Reichard MAPS/ART/GRAPHICS DEPUTY DIRECTOR: Chiqui Esteban. PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Richard W. Bullington. CARTOGRAPHIC DATABASE DIRECTOR: Theodore A. Sickley. THE GEOGRAPHER: Juan José Valdés. SENIOR GRAPHICS EDITORS: Martin Gamache (Cartography), John Tomanio (Art/Graphics); Fernando G. Baptista, Manuel Canales, Jerome N. Cookson, Lauren E. James, Virginia W. Mason, Ryan Morris, Jason Treat, Matthew Twombly. RESEARCHER: Kelsey Nowakowski. MAP EDITORS: Maureen J. Flynn, Michael Fry, Julie A. Ibinson, Gus Platis, Rosemary P. Wardley. GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALISTS: Emily M. Eng, Daniela Santamarina, Anna Scalamogna, Lauren C. Tierney. ADMINISTRATION: Nicole Washington COPY/ RESEARCH DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: Amy Kolczak. RESEARCH DIRECTOR: Alice S. Jones. COPY EDITORS: Kitry Krause, Cindy Leitner, Mary Beth Oelkers-Keegan, Leanne Sullivan. RESEARCHERS: Christy Ullrich Barcus, Nora Gallagher, David A. Lande, Taryn L. Salinas, Heidi Schultz, Brad Scriber, Elizabeth Snodgrass. PRODUCTION: Sandra Dane. ADMINISTRATION: Jacqueline Rowe ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANT TO CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER: Karen Dufort Sligh. ASSISTANT TO EDITOR IN CHIEF: Lindsay N. Smith. SCHEDULING: Carol L. Dumont. FINANCE: Jeannette Kimmel; Nikisha Long; Laura Flanagan, Emily Tye. PRE-PRODUCTION: Cole Ingraham COMMUNICATIONS VICE PRESIDENT: Mary Jeanne Jacobsen; Anna Kukelhaus Dynan. NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT: Maura A. Mulvihill; Betty Behnke, Mimi Dornack, Alice Keating, William D. Perry. LIBRARY DIRECTOR: Barbara Penfold Ferry; Margaret V. Turqman; Elaine Donnelly. PUBLISHING SYSTEMS VICE PRESIDENT: Dave E. Smith. SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Gina L. Cicotello. SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATORS: Patrick Twomey; Robert Giroux PRODUCTION SERVICES SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT: Phillip L. Schlosser. IMAGING VICE PRESIDENT: Thomas J. Craig; Neal Edwards, James P. Fay, Gregory W. Luce, Ann Marie Pelish, Stephen L. Robinson. QUALITY TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Clayton R. Burneston; Michael G. Lappin, William D. Reicherts. DISTRIBUTION VICE PRESIDENT: Michael Swarr. BUSINESS MAGAZINE DIRECTOR: Greg Storer. ADVERTISING PRODUCTION: Kristin Semeniuk DIGITAL GENERAL MANAGER Keith W. Jenkins DIGITAL PUBLISHING CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Miranda Mulligan. DIGITAL CONTENT DIRECTOR: Jeffrey Katz. DIGITAL PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: Constance Miller. OUTREACH DIRECTOR: David Braun. YOUR SHOT DIRECTOR: Monica C. Corcoran. ADVENTURE EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Mary Anne Potts. MOBILE DESIGN DIRECTOR: Bethany Powell. DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL VIDEO: James Williams. SENIOR PHOTO EDITORS: Coburn Dukehart, Alexa Keefe, Nicole Werbeck. PHOTO EDITORS: Mallory Benedict, Sherry L. Brukbacher, Janna Dotschkal, Marie McGrory. PHOTO PRODUCER: Jeanne M. Modderman. SENIOR BLOGGER: April Fulton. DESIGNERS: Melissa Armstrong, Kevin DiCesare, Rachael McCarthy, Alessandra Villaamil, Jasmine Wiggins, Vito Zarkovic. WEB PRODUCERS: Janey Adams, Kate Andries, Amy Bucci, Chris Combs, John Kondis, Angie McPherson. EDITORIAL SERVICES: Nancy Gupton; Heather Brady, Korena Di Roma, Emily Shenk. VIDEO PRODUCERS: Stephanie Atlas, Kathryn Carlson, Gabriella Garcia-Pardo, Will Halicks, Jeff Hertrick, Jason Kurtis, Rachel Link, Nick Lunn, Spencer Millsap, Jennifer Murphy, Shannon Sanders, Hans Weise. DIGITAL PRODUCTION MANAGER: Trish Dorsey. COORDINATORS: David Ehrenberg, Anna Lukacs INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS DEPUTY EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Darren Smith. MULTIMEDIA EDITOR: Laura L. Ford. PRODUCTION: Sharon Jacobs EDITORS ARABIC: Alsaad Omar Almenhaly. AZERBAIJAN: Seymur Teymurov. BRAZIL: Angélica Santa Cruz. BULGARIA: Krassimir Drumev. CHINA: Bin Wang. CROATIA: Hrvoje PrDžiDž. CZECHIA: Tomáš Ture̷ek. ESTONIA: Erkki Peetsalu. FARSI: Babak Nikkhah Bahrami. FRANCE: Jean-Pierre Vrignaud. GEORGIA: Levan Butkhuzi. GERMANY: Florian Gless. HUNGARY: Tamás Vitray. INDIA: Niloufer Venkatraman. INDONESIA: Didi Kaspi Kasim. ISRAEL: Daphne Raz. ITALY: Marco Cattaneo. JAPAN: Shigeo Otsuka. KOREA: Junemo Kim. LATIN AMERICA: Fernanda González Vilchis. LATVIA: Linda Liepiͷa. LITHUANIA: Frederikas Jansonas. NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM: Aart Aarsbergen. NORDIC COUNTRIES: Karen Gunn. POLAND: Martyna Wojciechowska. PORTUGAL: Gonçalo Pereira. ROMANIA: Catalin Gruia. RUSSIA: Alexander Grek. SERBIA: Igor Rill. SLOVENIA: Marija Javornik. SPAIN: Josep Cabello. TAIWAN: Yungshih Lee. THAILAND: Kowit Phadungruangkij. TURKEY: Nesibe Bat PARTNERSHIPS 161 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY, 10013; Phone: 212-610-5500; Fax: 212-741-0463 EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND WORLDWIDE PUBLISHER: Claudia Malley. VICE PRESIDENT MARKETING: Jenifer Berman. INTERNATIONAL: Charlie Attenborough. ADVERTISING: Robert Amberg, John Campbell. CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS: Tammy Abraham. BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS: Margaret Schmidt EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT: Terrence Day. SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT CONSUMER AND MEMBER MARKETING: Liz Safford. VICE PRESIDENTS: John MacKethan (North America), John A. Seeley (International). DIRECTORS: Anne Barker (Renewals), Richard Brown (New Business), Tracy Pelt (Operations and Customer Care) PRESIDENT AND CEO Gary E. Knell Inspire SCIENCE AND EXPLORATION: Terry D. Garcia Illuminate MEDIA: Declan Moore Teach EDUCATION: Melina Gerosa Bellows EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT LEGAL AND INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING: Terry Adamson CHIEF OF STAFF: Tara Bunch COMMUNICATIONS: Betty Hudson CONTENT: Chris Johns NG STUDIOS: Brooke Runnette TALENT AND DIVERSITY: Thomas A. Sabló FINANCE: Michael Ulica OPERATIONS: Tracie A. Winbigler BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN: John Fahey Wanda M. Austin, Michael R. Bonsignore, Jean N. Case, Alexandra Grosvenor Eller, William R. Harvey, Gary E. Knell, Maria E. Lagomasino, Jane Lubchenco, Nigel Morris, George Muñoz, Reg Murphy, Peter H. Raven, Edward P. Roski, Jr., Frederick J. Ryan, Jr., Ted Waitt, Anthony A. Williams, Tracy R. Wolstencroft EDUCATION FOUNDATION BOARD OF GOVERNORS CHAIRMAN: Gary E. Knell VICE CHAIRMAN: Patrick F. Noonan Brendan P. Bechtel, Jack Dangermond, John Fahey, Gilbert M. Grosvenor, Marillyn Hewson, Charles O. Holliday, Jr., Lyle Logan, Julie A. McGee, William K. Reilly, Anthony A. Williams INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF ADVISORS Darlene T. Anderson, Michael S. Anderson, Sarah Argyropoulos, Dawn L. Arnall, Lucy and Henry Billingsley, Richard C. Blum, Sheila and Michael Bonsignore, Diane and Hal Brierley, Pat and Keith Campbell, Jean and Steve Case, Alice and David Court, Barbara and Steve Durham, Roger A. Enrico, Juliet C. Folger, Michael J. Fourticq, Warren H. Haruki, Astrid and Per Heidenreich, Joan and David Hill, Lyda Hill, David H. Koch, Iara Lee, Deborah M. Lehr, Sven Lindblad, Juli and Tom Lindquist, Jho Low, Bruce Ludwig, Claudia Madrazo de Hernández, Anar Mammadov, Pamela Mars Wright, Randall Mays, Edith McBean, Susan and Craig McCaw, Meng Mingfei, Mary and Gregory M. Moga III, Mark C. Moore, Pearl and Seymour Moskowitz, Timothy S. Nash, Caryl D. Philips, Craig Piligian, Mark Pruzanski, Gayle and Edward P. Roski, Jr., Jeannie and Tom Rutherfoord, Victoria Sant, Hugo Shong, Jill and Richard Sideman, Jessica and Richard Sneider, Donna and Garry Weber, Angie and Leo Wells, Judith and Stephen Wertheimer, Tracy R. Wolstencroft, B. Wu and Eric Larson, Clara Wu Tsai, Jeffrey M. Zell RESEARCH AND EXPLORATION COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: Peter H. Raven VICE CHAIRMAN: John M. Francis Paul A. Baker, Kamaljit S. Bawa, Colin A. Chapman, Janet Franklin, Carol P. Harden, Kirk Johnson, Jonathan B. Losos, John O’Loughlin, Steve Palumbi, Naomi E. Pierce, Jeremy A. Sabloff, Monica L. Smith, Thomas B. Smith, Wirt H. Wills EXPLORERS-IN-RESIDENCE Robert Ballard, Lee R. Berger, James Cameron, Sylvia Earle, J. Michael Fay, Beverly Joubert, Dereck Joubert, Louise Leakey, Meave Leakey, Enric Sala, Spencer Wells FELLOWS Dan Buettner, Sean Gerrity, Fredrik Hiebert, Zeb Hogan, Corey Jaskolski, Mattias Klum, Thomas Lovejoy, Greg Marshall, Sarah Parcak, Sandra Postel, Paul Salopek, Joel Sartore, Barton Seaver DEVELOPMENT: David P. Bennett TREASURER: Barbara J. Constantz TECHNOLOGY: Jonathan Young NGSP, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN AND PRESIDENT: Kevin J. Maroni David Court, Gary E. Knell NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNELS CEO: Courteney Monroe CHAIRMAN: David Hill NAT GEO WILD EVP AND GENERAL MANAGER: Geoff Daniels NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNELS INTERNATIONAL CEO: Ward Platt EVP INTERNATIONAL CONTENT: Hamish Mykura We believe in the power of science, exploration, and storytelling to change the world
History is full of struggle and triumph, determination and discovery, courage and revolution, and let’s face it—some really, really bad days. In this wickedly entertaining book, best-selling author and historian Michael Farquhar chronicles the worst of the worst for each day of the year. The mishaps range from eyebrow raising to world changing—think Vegas hotelier Steve Wynn’s unfortunate run-in with a priceless Picasso to Napoleon’s frost-ridden, troopdepleting defeat in Russia. For anyone who’s had a rough time, this charming romp through history’s gloomier side will be grand company. Like us on Facebook: Nat Geo Books Follow us on Twitter: @NatGeoBooks © 2015 National Geographic Society Think You’re Having a Bad Day? Trust Us, It Could Be Worse . . . AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD I nationalgeographic.com/books Fifth-century monk and martyr Telemachus stepped into the middle of a gladiatorial fi ght in Rome and tried to stop the human slaughter, only to be stoned to death by the bloodthirsty audience unappreciative of the eff ort. JANUARY 1 Crappy New Year! JULY 1, 1916 No Day at the Beach: In the Jaws of Death. Charles Epting Vansant became an unwitting American original, in a most horrifi c way: he was the fi rst to succumb to a shark attack in the nontropical waters of the continental United States. Also in Ebook
Why Food Is Everything Chef José Andrés moved from Spain to the United States two decades ago. Known for introducing Spanish tapas to the American palate, he’s also hosted cooking shows and taught at Harvard (as well as blogged for us at theplate.nationalgeographic.com). Andrés, 45, owns 20 restaurants, but his passion for feeding people continues long after the tables have been cleared. You founded a humanitarian organization, World Central Kitchen. What drives your commitment to feed the hungry? My inspiration comes from the unknown names, the people who help, day in and day out, and don’t expect anything in return. One thing I did was go to Haiti after the earthquake to cook for people. I think we all should be committing a part of our time for the betterment of the lives of others. This should be a mission statement of humanity, because we can all probably do the same with a little bit less, and that little bit less can be huge for somebody else. My wife and I used our own money to create World Central Kitchen. Why does food education matter? Food is national security. Food is economy. It is employment, energy, history. Food is everything. If we approached many of today’s issues understanding this importance, we’d be making much better decisions. I believe everybody should be aware, not just of the food they eat but of the implications of eating it. Do you see a future where sustainable choices will be accessible to more people? I do, but I think there are problems—in the way we think about cities, for example. If we created huge areas of farmland, especially in poorer places, it would make better food more affordable. What if parts of New York and Washington, D.C., were farms? I understand nobody wants to do that and it might sound crazy, but if we were smart about eating locally and sustainably, we would do great things. PHOTO: REBECCA HALE, NGM STAFF nationalgeographic.com/3Q 3 Questions The Future of Food
©2015 Bayer HealthCare LLC, Animal Health, Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201 Bayer (reg’d), the Bayer Cross (reg’d), K9 Advantix® and for the love of dog™ are trademarks of Bayer. K15558 TO YOU, HE’S MORE THAN JUST A PET. So protect your dog with K9 Advantix®II. Its broad-spectrum protection kills fleas, ticks and mosquitoes too. Do not use on cats. Learn more at K9AdvantixII.com
Preserving the Amazon rain forest is a top priority for Brazil. The rapid expansion of soybean and cattle farming there during the 1990s and early 2000s led to alarming rates of deforestation. Over the past ten years, however, with government support, activists and farmers have protected more than 33,000 square miles of rain forest—an area equal to more than 14 million soccer fields. Saving these forests has kept 3.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Yet even under these land restrictions, Brazil’s soybean production has increased. The country is now the world’s second largest producer of the crop. How did this happen? Farmers focused on efficiency. Using new machinery and early maturing seeds enabled them to squeeze an additional planting into the standard growing season. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brazil’s 2014-15 soybean crop will hit a record 104.2 million tons, up 8.6 million tons from the year before, as farmers make better use of their fields. This progress, says the World Bank’s Juergen Voegele, is an example of how “producing more food can be reconciled with protecting the environment.” —Kelsey Nowakowski BRAZIL Soybeans on the Rise Tons per acre.1.3 Million tons produced.104.2 Million acres.77.8 1990-91 Growing season BRAZIL’S SOYBEAN YIELD 0.7.tons per acre 17.4.million tons produced 24.2.million acres 2014-15 Projected PHOTO: ROBERT CLARK. GRAPHIC: NGM ART. SOURCE: USDA USDA DATA CONVERTED FROM METRIC In four countries with fast-developing economies—Brazil, Russia, India, and China—the agricultural sector has become a proving ground for innovation. Juergen Voegele, a World Bank agriculture expert, predicts that “by transforming agriculture, we will not only meet the challenge of feeding nine billion people by 2050 but do so in ways that create wealth and reduce its environmental footprint.” The Future of Food