Food production must double to meet growing population demands

The discussion paper was published in advance of the high-level expert forum How to Feed the World 2050, which will be taking place today and tomorrow in Rome. The paper estimates the global population will have reached 9.1 billion people by 2050, an increase of 34 percent over the next 41 years. However, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that in that period agricultural production will need to grow by 70 percent worldwide, and almost 100 percent in developing countries.

The FAO says the disparity is due to a shift in demand towards higher value products with a lower calorific content, as well as the increasing use of crops as feed for animals, to keep up with the growing demand for meat. The paper states that these estimates are actually conservative, however, as they do not take into account a possible expansion in demand for biofuels.

INVESTMENT NEEDED
The FAO study calculated that developing countries would need an investment of $83 billion to support the increased agricultural output. This number includes the amount needed in primary agriculture and necessary downstream services, such as storage and processing facilities, but does not include the costs of roads, large scale irrigation projects, electrification, or other infrastructural needs.

Senior experts from around the world are going to be discussing the various aspects of the problem over the next two days, the first in a series of events leading up to the United Nations' World Food Day on Friday.

Edited by Ellie Duncan

Source: http://www.fao.org/