The food crisis will be back

The food crisis, a problem that we faced in 2007 and 2008, will be back sooner than expected. This is due to several factors, arising out of the economic and financial crisis, that are generating pressure on our capacity to supply food.

First, there has been increase in areas dedicated to biofuels. Several countries are starting production of biofuels, which is taking up land used for food production. Now the tank of our car is a competitor of our stomach. Both want food. Biofuels is not the major problem, since there are very positive results, in certain areas, of biofuels being produced together with increase in food production. But biofuels as a factor should be considered.

Second, the growth of world population, expected to reach 9 billion people in 2050, creates a need for higher food production. FAO estimates that we will need to produce at least 50 percent more food in the next 15 years. Economic development and income distribution in highly populated countries such as India, Brazil, China and Indonesia are creating millions of new food consumers. Migration and urbanization is leading to the growth of more mega cities, which is increasing food consumption. The trend is also changing consumption habits toward less grain and more protein; consumption is becoming more individual based, more sophisticated and more energy consuming. There is also a huge impact here, when you consider that in several countries, 50 percent or more of the population is still in rural areas - and moving to cities.