Abstract. In 2007-2008 the world food crisis has substantially aggravated. This is a good reason to ponder over the fate of our technological civilization and a reminder of the finite nature of the resources used by the mankind. These resources include minerals, land suitable for cultivation, water and, at last, the technologies for securing the growing world population with the foods. The crisis has opened the eyes of many enthusiasts of the scientific and technological progress to some of its bitter fruits, in particular, to the polarization of food production and consumption, hunger and poverty of millions human beings, environmental pollution, progressive exhaustion of resources. Still, there are enough reasons to be optimistic. Earth's civilization has survived many turning points and has always found the way out and the methods to resolve the problem. It may be hoped that the humanity will also found the way out from the maze of problems that showed up as a result of the food crisis, at least in the foreseeable future.