How to achieve the required food production to meet the growing demand?
New Medit, vol 8, n. 4, (December 2009), pp. 4-12
Language: EN
Jel classification: Q180, Q250, O130
We now face the challenge of feeding 8 billion people by the end of the first quarter of the twenty-first century. More than 80% of these people will live in developing countries that are those suffering the most from severe water scarcity, notable shortage in food production and increasing hunger and poverty. The challenge is: how to achieve the required food production to meet the growing demand? To feed the increasingly growing population, on the one hand, balanced, broad-based pro-poor growth-oriented programs are generally required to increase food production, agricultural productivity and rural income and, on the other hand, special targeted programs are necessary to alleviate hunger. Success mostly depends on having conducive policies, adequate institutions, improved market infrastructure, social safety nets and primarily peace and stability, all on a sustainable basis. In this paper, our attempt is to outline the key issues that allow shifting our priority attention from a common understanding of the major causes behind the problems to concrete actions that must be implemented, in view of fighting hunger and achieving food safety, water security and environment sustainability.
water management, environment sustainability, food safety
