In an open lecture to staff and students recently, Professor Bywater presented his own reflections on a range of statistics and projections initially compiled by Australian science commentator Julian Cribb.
The data outlined the implications for humankind from what is considered to be an inevitable environmental crisis stemming from the confluence of three key factors; namely, ever increasing energy demands, increasingly limited water resources, and climate change.
Professor Bywater said these three factors were likely to lead to global food shortages, which, in turn, would create other issues including an increase in food prices (which he believed was already happening) and a dramatic rise in displaced people (again, something that was already occurring).
With no immediate or ''quick fix'' technological solutions available and insufficient time frames to avert any crisis, Professor Bywater maintained that large-scale global famine was inevitable, which would be a major trigger of global unrest. He said humans were also consuming resources at a rate of 1.3 planets.
This ''ecological overshoot'' was expected to become all the more dire, with current projections suggesting the equivalent of two planets would be required by 2050.
A significant factor in this gloomy equation was the rapidly growing global population, which was estimated to reach 11 billion by 2100. A growing percentage of the population was also living longer and becoming wealthier, thereby increasing the demand for particular foods.
Research suggested the demand for meat products increased dramatically for those moving from a low income into a low-medium income group. Meeting this increasing demand was hampered by issues such as climate change, where it was estimated that a 1% increase in global temperature equated to an estimated 10% decrease in food production.
There were also increasing strains on key, and increasingly scarce, resources, such as water and oil.
Professor Bywater referenced one commentator who suggested there would be insufficient water to feed ourselves within 25 years. Cities were expected to double their demand for water by 2050, while the energy sector demand was expected to triple.
Coupling these problems with others such as widespread land degradation and the picture looked somewhat stark.
''The farmer's challenge boils down to doubling food production with far less available land, eventually no fossil fuels, and scarce or very costly fertilisers; and all under conditions of increased drought and greater climatic variability,'' Professor Bywater said.
While the crisis was presented as having a certain inevitability and Professor Bywater said it was already well under way, those attending the presentation were left with some positives for mitigating the situation.
These included looking at ways to reduce the enormous level of food wastage in some parts of the world, it had also been suggested that there is a need to ''reinvent food''.
Part of this entailed biocultures and harnessing technologies which allowed food to be grown in urban spaces (such as on rooftops or in specially designed vertical structures), and devoting more resources to further develop high-efficiency, low-input eco-farming systems. It may also mean changing our diet.
Professor Bywater said spending on research and development for agricultural systems needed to double at the very least. Just 1.8% of research spending across western countries went on agriculture.
''Around $40 billion is spent every year on agricultural research, yet $1500 billion is spent on military weaponry.
''For the reasons I've outlined, it's important to see food research as a kind of defence spending.''
Professor Bywater said this was also an opportunity for New Zealand to capitalise on its natural and competitive advantage in food production and for Lincoln University, describing it as an ''exciting time for agricultural research''.