World won't be able to feed itself by 2050 warns FAO chief

19 January 2015


The global agricultural model is no longer sustainable, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization's director general.

In a speech delivered at Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in January José Graziano da Silva warned that increasing competition for natural resources required a "paradigm shift" in current production methods in order to feed a population that is heading towards 9 billion and beyond.

"Business as usual would mean a huge and simultaneous increase in the need for food, energy and water in the next decades: 60% more food, 50% more energy and 40%more water by 2050," he predicted.

Da Silva said that concerted efforts and investments were required to support a widespread, globe-spanning transition to sustainable farming systems and land management practices.

Global agricultural model unsustainable, warns FAO chief



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