A group of experts says significant “transformational efforts” will be needed to address climate change and global population growth.
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More than 150 Nobel and World Food Prize laureates have penned an open letter calling for investment in new food distribution efforts in the face of the global hunger crisis.
The letter states that 700 million people are currently experiencing food insecurity and extreme povertyand that without a large-scale effort to grow more and different foods, this number could increase drastically due to climate change and population increase.
“As difficult and uncomfortable as it is to imagine, humanity is heading toward an even more unstable and food insecure world by mid-century, compounded by a vicious cycle of conflict and food insecurity “states the letter, signed by 153 winners of the two prizes.
“Climate change is expected to reduce the productivity of most major staples, while substantial increases are needed to feed a world that will add 1.5 billion people by 2050.”.
“We are not able to meet future food needs. We are far from it”the letter states.
She adds that maize production in Africa, for example, is expected to decline and much of the world could experience increased land degradation and water shortages.
Urgent “transformation efforts”
Despite the gloomy outlook, experts remain hopeful that the crisis can be averted if the necessary measures are taken quickly.
The letter, which was written following a meeting of food accessibility experts held last year, calls for “efforts de transformation” such as improving photosynthesis in essential crops like wheat and rice, developing crops less dependent on chemical fertilizers, and extending the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
Brian Schmidt, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011, said the necessary increase in food production can only be achieved through adequate funding to improve existing knowledge and global leadership.
“This is a problem that will affect billions of people in 25 years. To solve it, there are no losers, only winners”he said in an interview. “All we have to do is do it.”.
Brian Schmidt hopes that governments in the United States, Europe and elsewhere will commit to solving the problem, but he says the initiative should come from private groups like the Gates Foundation.
Cynthia Rosenzweig, a climate researcher at NASA and winner of the 2022 World Food Prize, said in an interview that researchers were already making progress, but that their work needed to be accelerated by greater funding and greater attention from world leaders.
“It’s not that we have to imagine new solutions”she explains. “The solutions are being tested, but to take them from the laboratory to the agricultural regions of the world, we really need a bold approach”.
