Population and Food in the Early Twenty-First Century: Meeting Future Food Demands of an Increasing Population

The roundtable "Population and Food in the Early Twenty-First Century: Meeting Future Demand of an Increasing Population" reported here was organized in Feb. 1994, to examine food demand and supply prospects up to 2010 and explore the following questions: what is the projected increase in world population and in the different regions; what is the likely demand for food, cereals in particular; will per capita food production and consumption continue to increase; what are the constraints, such as land and water, on increasing food supply overall and in the different regions; will the increased food supply be available at constant or rising prices; what are the prospects of technological progress, either intensification of known technology or breakthroughs in conventional plant breeding or biotechnology; what are the implications of global warming for future food supply. The roundtable participants agreed that the world food supply in 2010 would probably meet global demand, but that regional problems could occur. South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are recognized as the most vulnerable regions. The key to future food supply is seen as increased productivity, i.e., yields must continue to rise. To accomplish this, sustained support for investment in agriculture, including research expenditures would be needed. Areas where knowledge is inadequate are also identified. KEYWORDS: TROPAG | food production | supply balance | demand | forecasting | demography | resource depletion | food security.