Global agriculture is capable of producing enough food to meet the needs of the world's population, which will grow to 10 billion by 2050, according to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), presented Wednesday in the Italian capital.
“By 2050, the world's population will grow to nearly 10 billion people. Under the moderate economic growth scenario, such a population growth rate would increase global agricultural demand by 50 percent over current levels, which in turn would increase pressure on already depleted natural resources,”the report said. The future of food and agriculture”.
The report argues that in the future, people will consume less grains and more meat, fruits, vegetables and processed foods, which will put additional pressure on resources and lead to an increase in deforestation, land degradation and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Almost half of the forests that once covered the Earth have already been destroyed. Groundwater is rapidly depleting. Biodiversity is rapidly being lost,”the report says.
Along with population growth and global dietary changes, the planet's climate change will lead to strong variability in precipitation and an increase in the frequency of droughts and floods, the organization said.
FAO emphasizes that the current pace of progress is not sufficient to end hunger by 2050, and without additional efforts to develop poor regions, reduce inequality and protect vulnerable populations, more than 600 million people will go hungry in 2030.
The report identifies 15 trends and 10 challenges for the world's food systems. In addition to the above, the trends include increased competition for natural resources, an increase in the frequency of conflicts, crises and natural disasters, an increase in migration and a slowdown in crop yields.
In this regard, the organization considers it necessary, among other things, to address the challenges of climate change and intensified natural disasters, to eradicate hunger and poverty, and to address the root causes of migration.
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FAO notes that in this context, the world's agriculture and food systems can still produce enough food to sustainably meet the needs of a growing population, “but realizing that potential requires fundamental transformations.”
Alexander Logunov