The Second Green Revolution is a change in agricultural production widely thought necessary to feed and sustain the growing population on Earth
These calls have precipitated in part, as a response to rising food commodity prices, and fears of peak oil

Peak oil

Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...

 among other factors.

Etymology

It is named after the Green Revolution

Green Revolution

Green Revolution refers to a series of research, development, and technology transfer initiatives, occurring between the 1940s and the late 1970s, that increased agriculture production around the world, beginning most markedly in the late 1960s....

, a movement to increase crop selection and agrichemical

Agrichemical

Agrochemical , a contraction of agricultural chemical, is a generic term for the various chemical products used in agriculture. In most cases, agrichemical refers to the broad range of pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides...

 usage to increase yield.

Methods

It is thought that genetic engineering

Genetic engineering

Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...

 of new crops and foods will take the lead in producing increased crop yield and nutrition.

Proponents

Bill Gates has been among the proponents of a second green revolution, saying:

Three quarters of the world's poorest people get their food and income by farming small plots of land...if we can make smallholder farming more productive and more profitable, we can have a massive impact on hunger and nutrition and poverty...the charge is clear—we have to develop crops that can grow in a drought; that can survive in a flood; that can resist pests and disease...we need higher yields on the same land in harsher weather."

Gates made these remarks during the World Food Prize

World Food Prize

The World Food Prize is an international award recognizing the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world.-The Prize:...

. He has made over 1.4 billion in contributions towards agricultural developments.

Opponents

Opponents views include social inequity as a major factor in food insecurity not addressed by increasing food production capacity.

Other usage

Others
have used the term to refer to a combination of urban agriculture

Urban agriculture

Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing and distributing food in, or around, a village, town or city. Urban agriculture in addition can also involve animal husbandry, aquaculture, agro-forestry and horticulture...

, smaller farm

Farm

A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...

 size and organic agriculture with the aim of increasing resource sustainability of crop production.