Food security view under the fundamental right of humanity to the food needed for its survivor on the face of the planet.
The sharp increases in food prices that occurred in global and national markets in recent years, and the resulting increases in the number of hungry and malnourished people, have sharpened the awareness of policy-makers and of the general public to the fragility of the global food system. This awareness must be translated into political will and effective action to render the system better prepared to respond to long-term demand growth and more resilient against various risk factors that confront world agriculture, and to ensure that the growing world population will be able to produce and have access to adequate food today and in future. There is a need to address new challenges that transcend the traditional decision making horizons of producers, consumers and policy-makers.
In the first half of this century, global demand for food, feed and fibre is expected to grow by 70 percent while, increasingly, crops may also be used for bio-energy and other industrial purposes. New and traditional demand for agricultural produce will thus put growing pressure on already scarce agricultural resources. And while agriculture will be forced to compete for land and water with sprawling urban settlements, it will also be required to serve on other major fronts: adapting to and contributing to the mitigation of climate change, helping preserve natural habitats and maintaining biodiversity. To respond to those demands, farmers will need new technologies to produce more from less land, with fewer hands.
This perspective for 2050 raises a number of important questions. Are current public and private investments sufficient to ensure adequate agricultural production potential, sustainable use of natural resources, infrastructure for markets, information and communication and research for technological breakthroughs for the future? Will resources, new technologies and supporting services be available to the people who will need them most – the poor? What needs to be undertaken to help agriculture meet the challenges of climate change and growing energy scarcity?
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Photo from Talent for Governance. Provides young, talented and motivated civil servants from developing and transitional countries with the chance to join in the Talent for Governance programme.