Food production needs to increase by 70 percent

The UN Food and Agricultural Organisation indicates that food production will need to rise by 70 percent relative to 2009 levels by 2050 as its predicted the global population will reach nine billion people, FAO, the United Nations food body, in Rome said, in its new report on land and water challenges. However, the State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture - the new report by the FAO - highlights the distribution of land and water resources do not favour those countries that will need to produce more food. Read more ...
 
This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers.

BPEX: Feed crisis pack

BPEX: The biggest and most important single cost for pig producers is feed; on average it accounts for almost 60 percent of total production costs. It is no exaggeration to state that global rises in the price of feed are the biggest threat to the sustainability of English high welfare pig production and processing.

Wheat is the main ingredient of pig feed and its price is keenly observed by the whole of the pig industry. The market for wheat has been very volatile in recent years with huge price rises brought about by poor harvests and a growing demand, not least for the production of bio fuels. Prices of other key ingredients, such as soya, have also increased. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.

GM crops and biotechnology vital to global food security

Agricultural innovation has long sustained the world's masses with an abundance of low-cost food, thanks to the success of the mid-20th century's Green Revolution, which brought industrialization and high-yield grains to India, Mexico and many other developing countries. A prosperous global population however, has blazed the way for burgeoning new mouths to feed that, by 2050, will nearly double food demand. At the same time, farmers face unprecedented challenges of climate change, high oil prices driving demand for biofuels, and rising costs of land and water.

This intention to improve global agricultural productivity and extend food security to Africa is welcomed by former U.S. Department of Agriculture Chief Scientist and Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics Gale A. Buchanan. And if the president's plan is to have any "real, revolutionary" impact, he said, then it must capitalize on the value of genetically modified (GM) crops. In a November 11 keynote address at Sigma Xi's "Food Safety and Security: Science and Policy" symposium, Buchanan charted out several examples of how GM crops could improve agricultural productivity. Read more...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.