The Future of Food

By 2050, the world population is expected to reach nine billion. The question of how to feed those many mouths is high on the mind of agriculture and food experts. Although food production has increased over the past 50 years, it is estimated that 70% to 100% more food will need to be produced to meet demand.

To help address this global conundrum, a team of 55 agricultural and food experts from the world’s major agricultural organizations, professional scientific societies and academic institutions was appointed to identify the top 100 questions for global agriculture and food. Their top 100 questions, whittled down from an initial list of 618, are published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability.

The belief is that if these 100 questions are addressed, the answers will significantly impact global agricultural practices worldwide. They offer policy and funding organizations an agenda for change. The questions are wide-ranging, are designed to be answerable and capable of realistic research design, and cover 13 themes identified as priority to global agriculture.

Lead author, Professor Jules Pretty, of the University of Essex, said: “The challenges facing world agriculture are unprecedented and are likely to magnify with pressures on resources and increasing consumption. What is unique here is that experts from many countries, institutions and disciplines have agreed on the top 100 questions that need answering if agriculture is to succeed this century. These questions now form the potential for driving research systems, private sector investments, NGO priorities, and UN projects and programmes."

This research forms one part of the UK’s Foresight Global Food and Farming Futures project. The project will publish its findings in January 2011. The Foresight Programme is part of the UK's Government Office for Science. It helps Government think systematically about the future and uses the latest scientific and other evidence to provide signposts for policymakers in tackling future challenges.

Sources:

* International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability: The top 100 questions of importance to the future of global agriculture