Too much of the world’s population still goes to bed hungry. Food production has increased, but the problem of food availability remains in Africa, India, and elsewhere. Interestingly enough, the world produces much more food than it needs. Despite this surplus, hunger continues to be widespread because while population numbers are growing, agricultural productivity is too low to satisfy every person’s need for nourishment. Innovations in agriculture can provide a solution and help avert a global hunger crisis.
Even as we continue to make progress in our fight against hunger, there is still more work to be done.
With nearly a billion people going to bed hungry every night, the world faces a daunting challenge in feeding itself.
While progress has been made over the past 20 years, too many families still don’t have enough food. What can we do about it?
The good news is that scientists have developed innovative solutions to help meet this goal through better crop yield and variety.
We need to continue finding smart investments that improve agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods.
The world’s population is growing, and so is the number of people struggling with hunger. According to recent estimates, nearly 821 million people worldwide are undernourished.
Hunger and malnutrition are complex problems that defy simple solutions. But we can find ways to help small farmers feed their families, and their communities.
Invest in agricultural research and development. Agricultural innovations have helped farmers increase production and improved nutrition for millions over the past several decades. Despite this progress, the rate of growth in global food production has been declining, from 2.2 percent annually between 1970 and 1990 to less than 1 percent since 1990. We need to continue finding smart investments that improve agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods.
Encourage private-sector investment. Private-sector companies have a vital role to play in reducing hunger and poverty by creating jobs through industrialization and economic development. For example, Walmart has helped small suppliers in Africa increase their sales by more than $12 million since 2011 through its program “Empowering Women Together.” Meanwhile, the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture initiative has garnered more than $10 billion in commitments from private-sector companies since 2011 to develop sustainable agriculture models that enhance productivity while protecting the environment.
But the simple fact of the matter is that we don’t have enough time to wait for incremental improvements in food production.
But the simple fact of the matter is that we don’t have enough time to wait for incremental improvements in food production. We need to find new ways to grow food, and we need to do it now.
Take Ethiopia, where I’m currently working on a project with Care USA to support smallholder farmers in their recovery from the current drought. The country has been hit by a series of droughts since 2011, which have made life very difficult for farmers, many of whom depend solely on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. For some, this has meant having to resort to emergency food aid.
This year’s drought has been particularly harsh—over 10 million people require emergency food assistance right now—and El Niño is expected to make it worse. This means that many farmers will again be depending on emergency food aid until next year’s harvest comes along. But this cycle cannot continue forever: If current estimates are correct and Africa’s population doubles by 2050
Agricultural innovations are crucial in the face of climate change, population growth, and water scarcity. The focus should be on providing farmers with tools that promote efficient use of inputs, reduce risk, and increase yields.
The agriculture industry has been subject to many innovations over time. The invention of the plow opened up new possibilities for increased productivity. Hybrid seeds allowed plants to grow under more diverse conditions. And fertilizers enhanced soil quality, driving yields higher.
These innovations have all had a positive influence on food security, which is defined as ensuring that all people have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food. They’ve also benefited farmers by improving their standard of living and making them less vulnerable to sudden changes in weather or crop prices.
Despite these advances, we still have a long way to go before food insecurity can be eradicated from our world. Currently, one out of nine people suffer from hunger on a daily basis. More than 2 billion people do not have access to sufficient quality protein in their diets. This is especially troublesome given that the world’s population is expected to grow by 2 billion over the next 30 years – increasing the need for food production by 70%.
Agricultural innovation will play an increasingly important role in meeting this demand.
Innovation isn’t just about inventing new products. It’s also about developing new ways of doing things, and that’s particularly important in the agricultural sector.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) scientists believe that innovative solutions to agricultural challenges could have a big impact on food security and hunger in the developing world. For example, some 60 million people are at risk of starvation across Africa due to drought and conflict, but FAO says this figure is a crisis waiting to happen.
So how can innovation help tackle a problem that seems so overwhelming?
Innovative solutions to agricultural challenges could have a big impact on food security and hunger in the developing world.
The first step is to invest more in agriculture. The agriculture sector currently receives less than 5 percent of global research and development budgets; that’s nowhere near enough if we want to feed the projected 9 billion people who will live on Earth by 2050.
We have to diversify our approach and support farmers with tools that make agriculture more productive, as well as sustainable and resilient.
There are many advancements being made that can help avert hunger crises around the globe.
