A 28% increase in farm production is required over the next decade if the United Nations’ sustainable development goal of “zero hunger” is to be met, according to the agricultural outlook 2022 from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This 28% growth would be triple the production growth over the last decade.

The report demonstrates that to achieve zero hunger, lower middle-income countries will require a 10% increase in daily calorie intake per person, while low-income countries will require a 30% increase.

It also forecasts that direct global agricultural emissions will increase by 6% over the next decade, with 90% of this coming from livestock production. However, the outlook suggests that farm emissions are expected to grow more slowly than the simultaneous increase in production.

Increased productivity

The OECD and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) predicts that to create zero hunger, while reducing emissions by 6%, which they say is possible with enhanced investment in innovation and “co-ordinated agricultural policy”, crop yields will need to grow by 24% and farm animal productivity by 31% by 2030.

FAO director general Qu Dongyu said: “We need to produce more with less impact and use of natural resources.”

OECD secretary general Mathias Cormann warned that the “consequences” of global food security concerns “could be dire, particularly for the most vulnerable”.