- According to a latest study published by researchers at Minnesota University:
- Population is going to increase from the current 7 billion to 9 billion in 2050.
- This need not necessarily lead to hunger if the existing cropland were used efficiently as it can feed 3 billion more people.
- More than 50% of the fertilizer currently used, including 60% of Phosphorous is going for a waste. Cutting this waste by modest amounts could feed more people and also bring down greenhouse gases emission.
- Currently, between 1/5th and 1/3rd of greenhouse gases are coming from deforestation, methane and fertilisers.
- Between 1/3rd and half of the viable crops are being wasted because of lack of infrastructure such as refrigerated transport, and also because of the wasteful habits in the rich countries.
- Focus on staple crops such as wheat and rice in key countries, including China, India, the U.S., Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan and Europe, will help produce more food for the growing populations.
- If the water used for irrigation were used more efficiently, instead of being sprayed uselessly, much more can be grown. 8-15% of the water currently used can be saved.
- If the water currently used to feed livestock were diverted to agriculture, at least 4 billion more people can be fed. This again raises the issue of over-reliance of meat in the west and in the growing middle-classes of the developing world.
- Wastage of meat should be prevented as the disposal of a single kilogram of beef was equal to the waste of 24 kilograms of wheat, in terms of the effort — water, fertiliser, greenhouse gases, cropland needed — that had gone into its production.
- The report will help funders and policymakers emphasize more on areas of agriculture where it could do most good.
- For example, increasing agricultural productivity in Africa, where the actual crop yields lag severely behind their potential, could produce enough to feed hundreds of millions of people.
- While sustainable feeding of people is the greatest challenge, politics will play a major role in whether the world grasps these optimistic ideas.
- Govts, companies and NGOs should focus on areas, crops and practices with the most to be gained, with a focus on China, India, the US, Brazil, Indonesia and Pakistan.
- Read at:http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/better-farming-could-feed-3-billion-more/article6229555.ece