Daily Trust (Abuja)
4 November 2009
Abuja — Rising from a forum on how to feed the world in 2050, experts say the combined effect of population increase, strong income growth and urbanization, is expected to double the demand for food.
The Director- General of the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) Jaques Diouf said productivity in agriculture must increase tremendously in order to meet the expected demand for food projected to double in the next 40 years.
According to Diouf, despites the challenges faced by agriculture, especially environmental difficulties such as green house effect, agriculture must become productive.
From reports posted by FAO Media Center, world population is projected to grow to 9.1 billion as against the current 6.7 billion and this would mean a 70 percent demand for agricultural production which would have no choice than to find ways of coping with the demand due to increase in population growth with the resultant effects. "Global agriculture would have to cope with the effects of climate change such as higher temperatures, greater rainfall variability and more frequent extreme weather events such as floods and droughts", says Diouf.
The FAO chief advocated for investment in improved water control and management to mitigate the anticipated increasing unreliability of rainfall and the competing that may arise from the biofuels market as well.
He added that focus should be laid on smaller farmers with the aim of increasing food production where demand is suspected to be most severe with Africa considered as most vulnerable because agricultural input may be reduced by 15-30 percent between 2080-2100.
Not less than 300 experts from around the world would review and debate on best technology and policy measures needed to secure world food supplies and not less than US $44 billion would be needed to invest in agriculture in developing countries as against the US $7.9 billion being spent now as official development assistance.
Recommendations from the experts are expected to determine the outcome of the World Food Summit on Food Security that is slated to hold on the November 16 -18. It will be attended by heads of States of FAO members.
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