Food Shortages from 2009 - Water Shortages and the Future - Current research- Part 1

Right now... One billion people are starving Today ... 25 000 people will die from malnutrition The global farm yield is currently growing by 1,1% a year Before 1990, it was increasing at 2% a year The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization projects that the growth will continue to fall The human population is steadily increasing The world's farmers will have to double their output by 2050 to meet the demand Food security is closely tied to volatile energy costs Crops need to be transported and treated with petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides Energy price spikes are likely to hit hard in the future And water... The population growth will strain water supplies along with the land use pressures and the effects of climate change Half a billion people currently live in countries with chronic water shortages that figure is expected to rise to 4 billion by 2050 Despite these alarming projections... Investment in agriculture has rapidly declined in recent decades Africa's per capita production of maize has dropped by 14% since 1980 There have been sharp cut-backs in research into new technologies... farming techniques and seed varieties that could increase yields... cope with climate changes... be more resistant to new pests and diseases... and make food more nutritious To be continued To discuss solutions join the forum at www.desteni.co.za