Members of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee were told that the world must find a way to feed a population of 10bn by 2050.

To achieve this food production will have to increase by 50% on current levels, according to a report commissioned by the Parliament’s policy department and delivered by Monica Pesce from Valdani and Vicari Associates..

Committee members heard that the projected global population of 10bn population would be more urbanised, with developing countries in particular demand for meat and processed foods. A the same time the developed world, particularly the EU and USA, is set be fighting obesity.

Efficiency

To meet this growing demand agriculture must become more efficient, with the report stating that the sector can increase current productivity by 30% through innovation and adoption of new technologies, while reducing the 1.3bn tonnes of food which is wasted every year will also help.

Managing resources achieving climate change targets is already a tough task for agriculture and one that will remain so as the need for more food arises.

In terms of output, members heard that cereal output would have to increase 39% and meat output increase by 30% on 2012 levels, with a 40% growth in poultry production, livestock by 34% and pig meat by 10% in order to meet foretasted demand.

The sustainability for all solution, which requires growth in production in a sustainable manner, with some change in diet, was unsurprisingly the one that found favour.