The need to produce almost twice as much food with less water will be a major challenge facing farmers in the coming decades, say eminent North American agricultural economists.
“The only environmentally sustainable alternative is to at least double productivity on the fertile non-erodible soils already in crop production,” said Robert Thompson of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and recently retired from a prominent career as an academic, government adviser and World Bank official.
He told a recent Ottawa conference on the future of the food industry that governments will need to increase investment in the food sector and industry will need to embrace genetically modified varieties despite opposition from “anti-technology” environmental activists.
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Research, academic and industry speakers argued at the conference that food production must become more efficient and intensive, regulations less onerous, the sector more productive, governments more willing to invest and trade more liberalized so food can get from producing countries to food-deficient areas.
However, farmers at the conference complained that the proposed solutions did not work for many producers on the ground.
Scott Graham from Egg Farmers of Ontario said he was shocked there had been no talk of food self-sufficiency or supply management.
“To come to a conference like this and see it (supply management) not accepted is an insult,” he said. “People producing for foreign markets are the ones who are struggling.
Eric Allaer, a vegetable producer from southwestern Ontario, said talk of efficiency and competitiveness is fine, but Ontario vegetable processors are going out of business because of cheap imported product.
“I don’t like to sound like a whining farmer, but the reality is the vegetable production business in Ontario is all but over,” he said.
“I’m growing corn for ethanol so we can put fuel in our cars. The food we eat will come cheap from overseas.”
Colleen Ross from the National Farmers Union argued biodiversity rather than intensive farming is the solution, sharing indigenous knowledge rather than biotechnology is healthier for the food producing sector and trade deals hurt rather than help farmers.
The comments were met with silence or rebuttal from many at the conference.
The overall theme of the conference was a warning that agricultural productivity is lagging and investment is inadequate, despite the fact that world food demand is growing and could explode by 80 percent or more by 2050.
In an interview, Thompson said biotechnology products must be part of the world hunger solution. He lamented Europe’s anti-GMO influence on food-deficient sub-Saharan Africa where food needs are greatest.
