How might farmers feed a world population of nine billion by 2050 while using fewer natural resources?
The question has been allied to NFU lobbying messages for some time, and a report published today by the government’s Foresight unit attempts to provide solutions. It consider the challenges of making global food supply secure and affordable at the same time as reducing inputs and emissions and protecting wildlife.
Government Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Sir John Beddington, who led the report, told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme that farmers, politicians, economists and scientists needed to think how to make food production more efficient and address the problems of water and energy.
"GM may be the answer for certain problems," he said, but "there is no one simple solution".
Issues of waste and under-investment in agriculture also needed to be dealt with, he added.
Prof Beddington summed up: "We are not making any more land; we have got to look for a significant and sustainable intensification of agriculture."
Click here for an NFU summary and analysis.
- Listen to Prof Beddington's thoughts here.
- Visit our food security channel here.
See also: Defra - ‘Agricultural revolution’ needed to fight food shortages
There needs to be a worldwide agricultural revolution, with farmers growing more food at less cost to the environment, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman and International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said today.
See also: DBIS - Urgent action needed to redesign the food system to feed the world’s growing population
A new report argues for fundamental change to the global food system, and beyond if a rapidly expanding global population is to be fed over the next 40 years.
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