Feeding the World Population Is Possible, Under Certain Conditions... Politique étrangère, Vol. 74, No. 2, Summer 2009
'The planet will be inhabited by more than 9 billion people in 2050, hence a crucial question: will the global agricultures be able to feed a growing population?'
In order to feed the world population, which in the next four decades will amount to 9 billion, agricultural production should increase by circa 50%. This target is not out of reach, provided that several conditions are fulfilled: implementing mechanisms which reduce prices volatility, increasing food supply in a context of sustainable growth, stopping waste and securing trade.
Hervé Guyomard, scientific head for social sciences, sciences for action and development and mathematics at Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA), coordinated the prospective initiative on European and French agriculture after 2013 (a joint initiative of Crédit agricole, Groupama and INRA). He was vice-president of the group Rare resources and Environment within the France 2025 Prospective at Conseil d’analyse stratégique (CAS).
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