Food demand and food prices will soar in the coming decades, and agricultural entrepreneurs will need to increase food production with the environment in mind, according to a white paper released by the Kauffman Foundation and Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

“AgTech: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Growth,” written by Kauffman Foundation Senior Fellow Suren G. Dutia, notes that demand for food is expected to rise by 70 percent and food prices will go up as much as 100 percent by 2050.

“We face the challenge of producing more food in the next 40 years than during the entire course of human history, on a planet showing signs of environmental stress,” Dutia said in a release. “AgTech innovations will be absolutely essential to meet this goal.”

The paper analyzed data on 900 AgTech companies involved with strong and steady new business in such areas as crop and animal production, processing, manufacturing and distribution. Yet entrepreneurial activity and investment were seen as lacking in comparison to other business sectors, such as renewable energy.

Dane Stangler, the Kauffman Foundation’s vice president of research and policy, said:  “We have an imperative to meet the challenge of feeding a growing population while preserving precious environmental resources. Sustainable agricultural technology offers the best way forward—and an enormous opportunity for entrepreneurs and investors alike to contribute to achieving this critical goal.”