World Population Requires 70% Increase in Food Production by 2050

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said feeding a global population of 9.15 billion people in 2050 requires an increase in total food production of some 70 per cent (nearly 100% in the developing countries).

Giving the alert, the organization said in its “long-term Outlook for Global Agriculture”, the demand for cereals is projected to rise about 50 per cent by 2050 (+1 billion tonnes), up from some 2.1 billion tonnes.

FAO said demand for other food products with higher income responsiveness such as

Livestock products or vegetable oils is projected to grow well above the rates predicted for cereals, while meat production, for instance, will rise by over 200 million tonnes to

470 million tonnes while soybean production will rise even faster from 215 million tonnes to 515 million tonnes by 2050.

Not included in these estimates is a potentially significant increase in demand from the (bio) energy sector.

According to FAO,high energy prices and/or government policies (mandates/subsidies) could create considerable extra demand for agricultural products and ultimately for natural resources such as land, water or genetic resources.

Overall, the outlook to 2050 suggests that the global food situation will continue to improve, albeit at a slower pace.

The average dietary energy supply is projected to reach3050 kcal/person/day by 2050 (2970 kcal in the developing countries), up from 2842 kcal in 2005/07 (2724 in developing countries).

Increasing food availability together with some improvements in access to food is expected to reduce the prevalence of chronic undernourishment in developing countries from 16.3per cent (823 million) in 2003/05 to 4.8per cent in 2050.

With populations still growing in many developing countries, some 370 million persons are likely to remain chronically underfed.

Slow progress in reducing hunger amid ample overall resources and large untapped production potentials emphasizes that hunger is above all a poverty problem and not one of limited production potentials or the ability of the world as a whole to produce enough food.

Agriculture nonetheless has a pivotal role in reducing hunger and poverty.

More than 70% of the poor live in rural areas and many of them rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.

world hunger that had reached a historic high in 2009 with 1,020 million people going hungry daily, according to new estimates published by United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

The most recent increase in hunger is not the consequence of poor global harvests but is caused by the world economic crisis that has resulted in lower incomes and increased unemployment. This has reduced access to food by the poor, the UN agency said.

“A dangerous mix of the global economic slowdown combined with stubbornly high food prices in many countries has pushed some 100 million more people than last year into chronic hunger and poverty,” said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. “The silent hunger crisis — affecting one sixth of all of humanity — poses a serious risk for world peace and security. We urgently need to forge a broad consensus on the total and rapid eradication of hunger in the world and to take the necessary actions.”

“The present situation of world food insecurity cannot leave us indifferent,” he added.

Poor countries, Diouf stressed, “must be given the development, economic and policy tools required to boost their agricultural production and productivity. Investment in agriculture must be increased because for the majority of poor countries a healthy agricultural sector is essential to overcome poverty and hunger and is a pre-requisite for overall economic growth.”

“Many of the world’s poor and hungry are smallholder farmers in developing countries. Yet they have the potential not only to meet their own needs but to boost food security and catalyse broader economic growth. To unleash this potential and reduce the number of hungry people in the world, governments, supported by the international community, need to protect core investments in agriculture so that smallholder farmers have access not only to seeds and fertilisers but to tailored technologies, infrastructure, rural finance, and markets,” said Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

“For most developing countries there is little doubt that investing in smallholder agriculture is the most sustainable safety net, particularly during a time of global economic crisis,” Nwanze added.

“The rapid march of urgent hunger continues to unleash an enormous humanitarian crisis. The world must pull together to ensure emergency needs are met as long term solutions are advanced,” said Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme.

The Nation