Today there are 7.7 billion people inhabiting the earth. It is expected that this will increase with another 2.2 billion people till 2050, meaning that 10 billion people need to be fed in 2050. How can we feed all these people and what will food producers all over the world have to face in the upcoming years? In this blog we share 5 major challenges that will influence food production towards 2050:
1) Increase food production per acre
To feed the 10 billion people that will inhabit the earth in 2050 food production has to grow. A 60 percent increase is needed to feed the growing world population. This can only be done by boosting the yield per acre drastically.
In the Netherlands for example we now produce nine tons of grain per acre. In developing countries like Kenya this is currently below two tons per acre. It is clear that there is still room for improvement. New technologies such as precision ag tech and smart agriculture can help to grow the yield per acre to at least 5 tons in countries like Kenya. Watch this video from the FAO to learn more.
2) Battle the effects of climate change
As the effects of climate change are becoming clearer every day, yields will be impacted considerably over the next years. Because weather patterns are becoming more extreme and unpredictable yield decreases of over 10 % are expected due to climate change after 2030. Read this article if you want to learn more about the effect of climate change on agriculture.
3) No possibility to extend farm land any further
4) Create more premium quality food
Increasing urbanization is one of the major global trends. It is expected that in 2050 more than two third of the population will live in cities. Living in cities also changes the food demands of the world population. A growing demand worldwide for premium quality food by increased urbanization is expected. Read more about how increasing urbanization affects food preferences.
Not only is the world population growing; due to urbanization and industrialization, the number of people living in poverty is rapidly decreasing. Thirty years ago, your chance to be born into extreme poverty in this world was one in three. Today, this is only 1 out of 10 people. This is great news, but it also means that as more people can afford to buy food, the demand for it will grow even further.
5) Increased competition for natural resources
In the upcoming years increasing competition for the ever scarcer natural resources is expected. Fossil fuels are running out and countries are increasingly looking for bioenergy alternatives to generate energy. Many of these natural resources like water are also needed in agriculture or occupy remaining farmland needed for agriculture e.g. growing plants that can generate biogas. Check this link for more info about the increased competition for natural resources.
Henri Hekman, CEO at AgroCares: “Farming is faced with a number of major challenges over the next 30 years. We are only able to feed 10 billion people in 2050 if we increase the yields per acre, especially on places where the growth of the world population will be most significant like Africa. At AgroCares we believe that we are developing the precision farming technology that is needed to accomplish this. If we succeed in getting our products into the hands of food producers worldwide, we are convinced that we can help them with the challenges they face in providing nutrition for the world.”
Would you like to learn more about AgroCares’ precision farming technology? Contact us now