By Jacqui Fatka

There is a growing need to produce food on less land. Scientists now
estimate that world food production will need to double by 2050.
Over the last decade, the world's population has grown 13pc and diets have
become richer, while farmers have met increased needs with only 6pc more
land.

Meanwhile, global incomes have risen 35pc. Growth in world meat consumption
increased 25pc, growth in corn consumption increased 32pc and growth in
soybean consumption grew 59pc.

Global productivity has increased exponentially. In the US, for example,
domestic farmers now produce four times more corn than in 1930 on one-third
less land.

Since 1981, global corn yields have increased 56pc, while land use has only
increased 9.8pc. This has essentially created 150 million "virtual acres".
As the figure shows, many developing countries have the opportunity to
double or even triple production.

Asia and Africa have the highest population growth rate in the world, making
it difficult to maintain adequate food supplies.

Still, in the past two decades, agricultural productivity has stagnated or
even declined in many countries in those regions for many reasons, including
low soil fertility, poor seed varieties, shortage of arable land, inadequate
rainfall and an abundance of pests and diseases.

While some countries have embraced agricultural biotechnology to improve
crops and yields, many have not.

In addition, lack of infrastructure prevents global productivity gains. This
includes poor transportation, storage, land use and water control. It also
includes soft infrastructure such as government policy, property rights,
market news and information.

Other setbacks in developing countries include a lack of modern equipment,
credit and insurance.

Innovation at work

The Alliance for Abundant Food & Energy is one group that is helping support
innovation. Its four founding members - Monsanto, DuPont, Archer Daniels
Midland (ADM) and Deere & Co. - believe that through innovation, today's
farmers can meet the growing global demand for both food and energy.

Many agricultural innovations remain unknown today, with behind-the-scenes
work helping to advance agriculture domestically and globally, explained
Mark Kornblau, executive director of the alliance.

The founding members have made important innovations throughout the
agricultural process, including seeds that yield more per acre, tractors
that use global positioning system technology to avoid reseeding rows and
processing techniques that allow the industry to make even more from a
simple grain of corn.

At the same time, these companies have sought to share their advances with
farmers through donations and training programs in the US and worldwide.

Biotech seed provider Monsanto is developing new maize varieties that are
more water efficient and drought tolerant for farmers in Africa. Through a
public/private partnership with the African Agricultural Technology
Foundation, Water Efficient Maize for Africa was formed in response to a
growing call to address the devastating effects of drought on small-scale
farmers and their families. Frequent droughts lead to crop failure, hunger
and poverty.

DuPont, the parent company of Pioneer Hi-Bred, is introducing better-quality
seeds in areas such as West Africa and Indonesia. Its particular focus is on
commercial maize hybrids to boost productivity in the region. Simply
switching from open-pollinated varieties of corn to hybrid seed can
quadruple yields on the same land.

Innovation often begins with education. ADM is working with Ivory Coast
farmers to attend field schools in order to learn the most advanced farming
techniques.

The John Deere Foundation is supporting long-term development and
sustainable approaches to help eliminate hunger through its Solutions for
World Hunger. As part of the program, the foundation established a
relationship with KickStart, a nonprofit organization that helps farmers in
Kenya, Tanzania and Mali get out of poverty.

Future needs

Kornblau explained that the agriculture industry can't advance innovation on
its own. The Alliance for Abundant Food & Energy is calling on the US
government to reorganise, refocus and adequately fund its foreign
agricultural economic development efforts.

This includes creating a high-level role in government to coordinate and
oversee efforts among various organisations with agricultural development
activities. It also calls for making agricultural development a higher
priority for US government organisations conducting economic development
activities.

In addition, the US needs to provide assistance in developing nations for
improving infrastructure that supports agriculture, such as farm-to-market
roads, storage facilities, water control, shipping, etc., along with farmer
extension programs and improved market information, Kornblau explained.

The alliance is also calling on a coordinated and expedited sharing of
scientific and agricultural market information with developing countries,
facilitated by land-grant university counterpart partnerships and
counterpart collaborations with the US Department of Agriculture's
Agricultural Research Service.

Importantly, a massive expansion of research and development is needed
domestically and abroad.

Here's the point

Don't dismiss the incredible, innovative nature of today's farmers in their
drive to meet a growing world population's needs for food and fuel.

According to the Alliance for Abundant Food & Energy, more than 75pc of the
public believes in encouraging innovation in farming in the developing world
so there are more crops for food and energy globally. In addition, more than
70pc believe that if done properly, agricultural sources can be effectively
used as both energy and food.

Many agribusinesses are already stepping up to the plate to help developing
countries grow more food on less land. In addition, through collaborations
such as the Alliance for Abundant Food & Energy, companies are calling on
the government to reinvest and refocus funding efforts on foreign
agricultural economic development activities.

Moving forward, it is important to continue investing in increasing global
production while also conserving the land currently in production. World
governments, as well as private and public partners, will play a crucial
role.
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