•     Will there be greater investments in anticipatory pro­cesses (e.g., foresight activities, citizen's summit, etc.)?

5.3.7 Education in science: trends and uncertainties

5.3.7.1 Trends. Over the past 15 years, most OECD econo­mies have experienced a large increase in the number of stu­dents in higher education. The absolute number of students in science and technology has risen too, but the proportion of university students in S&T has steadily decreased dur­ing the same period. Some disciplines, such as mathematics and physical sciences, show particularly worrying trends. Nevertheless, higher education with professional objectives (engineers, technicians, etc.) remains attractive.
    Image and motivation surveys show that young people continue to have a largely positive perception of science and technology. S&T are considered important for society and its evolution despite concerns in specific areas often linked to their negative environmental and societal consequences. Scientists are among the professionals the public trusts most, even though their prestige has declined (senior management or government positions are rarely held by scientists or en­gineers, and media reports on S&T events do not focus on the researchers themselves, who are thus very rarely known by name). Yet parents encourage careers in S&T for their children. There is a sharp difference between the positive opinion of young people towards S&T and their actual wish to pursue S&T careers. S&T professions continue to gener­ate great interest among youth in developing countries, but not in industrialized countries, where especially girls find it unattractive. Many young people have a negative perception of these careers and lifestyles. Incomes are expected to be low relative to the amount of work involved and the dif­ficulty of the required studies.
     Students often lack knowledge about what S&T profes­sionals really do and many are unaware of the range of ca­reer opportunities stemming from S&T studies. What they do know often comes from personal interactions (mostly S&T teachers, or someone in the family), or through the media. Scientists are usually portrayed as white men in white coats and engineers as performing dirty or dull jobs. As S&T professions evolve quickly, S&T teachers and ca­reer advisors often lack up-to-date information to convey to their students. Young people therefore have few oppor­tunities to learn about the lives of S&T professionals. The careers of S&T professionals as a whole have suffered from media reports of poor prospects and funding and increased job insecurity, despite the fact that this applies primarily to researchers. Furthermore, the possibility of reaching a proper balance between a successful career and a fulfilling family life, which is important to young people, is perceived as difficult in S&T professions.
     Many initiatives have been launched at different levels to promote S&T careers and studies. Government actions have often been designed to improve the image of science and scientists in society (science weeks, science days, etc.) and more has been done by the professional scientific orga­nizations. Communication tends to focus on science itself, not on the reality of S&T professions. The actual impact of the various actions on both young people's attitudes and their choices of studies or careers is poorly evaluated,

however. Furthermore, communication between the various stakeholders is often inadequate.

5.3.7.2 Uncertainties of the future. The interest for science and the number of students in science and technology in most of NAE is declining. The population of European researchers is aging, and students tend to turn away from science and technology, especially when it is research oriented. Measures relate to school education programs and public information to change the public's attitudes about the benefits of S&T. In North America, the number of students in "sustainabil-ity programs" is increasing, but fewer have agricultural backgrounds. What will be done in primary and secondary schools and in universities to interest students in scientific research? What will be done in terms of remuneration to attract and keep researchers? How will universities deal with their missions to educate a diverse student body and to carry out research with local industrial communities? Will universities turn to problem solving? Will education become concentrated in a global knowledge oligopoly comprising a small number of giant US, European and Asian firms? Will North America and Europe continue to play an important role in training scientists from developing countries?

5.4 Key Direct Drivers for Agriculture, Uncertainties and Consequences for AKST
AKST will be greatly influenced by changes in agriculture, and can also influence changes in agriculture. At present and for at least the next twenty years, North American and European policies, trade and markets will greatly influence the world agriculture. In this chapter, policies, trade and markets have been considered a key driver of agriculture. Land use change and natural resources have been dealt with together.

5.4.1 Food consumption and distribution: trends and uncertainties
Human as well as plant and animal health considerations are becoming more important. Populations in North Amer­ica and Western Europe, especially the poor, face alarming increases in illnesses associated with inadequate diets and over-processed food. Central and Eastern Europe are likely to face the same problems. Increased plant and animal dis­eases, as well as weed and insect problems, both evolving and invasive, are threatening production in certain areas, and lead to overuse of agricultural chemical and antibiot­ics, whose lingering residual effects in the environment are threatening human health. This could lead to changes in food production and processing. The growing organic food market could counter this trend. The problem could be ad­dressed through well-target information and appropriate regulations, as well as changes in the behavior of individu­als and companies.

5.4.1.1 Ongoing trends
Consumers'  food  preferences  cannot  be  understood  or predicted by simple models: food preferences arise from a combination of different factors and drivers; e.g., income, household size, age, ethics such as on animal welfare, in­fluence of policies or media (EC, 2007). Changes in food