Feeding the world in face of drought
An essential second step would be providing these farmers access to improved seeds, pesticides and fertilizers to boost productivity, spurring economic growth in poorer regions and helping to feed our growing global population.
Growing more food also means storing more food. Approximately 30 percent of crops in the developing world are lost before they are brought to market because of limited infrastructure. We must invest in post-harvest storage facilities — so gains in agricultural production lead to more food being available to consumers at the market.Continue Reading
Third, we should equip those working in agriculture, especially women, with the know-how to use newer technologies. Women work alongside men, performing hard agricultural labor — in some countries, they make up more of the agricultural labor force — but they still have far less access to agricultural inputs and training than men.
Closing this gap would have a real impact on food production. If women had the same access to resources as men, they could increase their yields by 20 percent to 30 percent, raise total agricultural productivity in developing countries by 2.5 percent to 4 percent and reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 percent to 17 percent.
International leaders are increasingly aware of the importance and potential of raising productivity through these solutions. The U.S. government, the G-8 and the G-20 have put global food security high on their agendas in the past few years. But we need to continue to upgrade our investments and work with policymakers and private enterprises around the world to support market-oriented and environmentally sustainable farming that can jump-start economic growth in developing countries, lift millions out of poverty and increase global agricultural production.
It would be a triple win.
As Americans, we have decades of experience in building the world’s most productive agricultural system. We’ve developed technologies and tools that have revolutionized the farming industry. Even today, however, our farmers — like their counterparts around the world — are not immune to the uncertainties and risk, especially those caused by extreme heat and drought that affect food and agricultural production worldwide.
Our only chance in the face of this grave challenge is to equip every farmer around the world with the tools and knowledge they need to succeed. Only then will we be able to sustainably and reliably feed the world.
Catherine Bertini is the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate and was the executive director of the U.N. World Food Program from 1992-2002. Dan Glickman served as secretary of agriculture from 1995-2001. They are co-chairs of The Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Global Agricultural Development Initiative.