Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Focusing in on Feeding the World

By Nathan Stevens
January 21, 2011

At a recent policy conference on the future of food and farming, Robert Thompson of the University of Illinois painted the big picture for agriculture worldwide over the next 40 years. There are huge factors that are shaping the future of food that have created an array of challenges and opportunities for agriculture.

The most obvious challenge will be that of ensuring that nine billion people are able to get the food they require to live. Compounding the need to feed these people is the hope of attaining real poverty reduction around the world. The side effect of achieving real poverty reduction is that diets change to include more meat and more fruits and vegetables. The net effect of more people with improved diets is estimated to be a 100 per cent increase in the demand for food.

Next, there is the factor of available land to convert to agricultural uses. There is realistically only a 12 per cent increase in agricultural land available in the world that can be adopted for agricultural uses, provided that the world’s forests will not be converted in a substantial way.

Thompson argued that climate change and its impact on temperature and precipitation patterns will impact agriculture in ways that cannot be fully anticipated. The fear is that extreme weather events will occur with increasing frequency. As a result, more research into crops that are more resistant to weather extremes needs to become a focus in the future.

Finally, competition for water resources will become increasingly serious as urbanization continues in the developing world. For the first time in history, more people around the world live in an urban setting than in a rural one. As this trend continues, finding ways for all of society to be more efficient with water will be essential.

The end result of all these factors is the need for farmers the world over to double food production in the next 40 years. This monumental goal needs to be achieved while adding relatively few acres to production, handling more adverse weather, and using less water to grow the additional food. Ensuring that the policy agenda is set to tackle this problem will be a key task in the years ahead.

Nathan Stevens is the Research and Policy Advisor for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. It can be heard weekly on CKNX Wingham and CFCO Chatham, Ontario and is archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. The CFFO is supported by 4,200 farm families across Ontario

Views: 33

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Governments Of Canada and Manitoba Investing More Than $6 Million to Grow Local Food Processing Economy and Support Jobs

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing more than $6 million to help grow the economy by increasing food production facilities and supporting jobs across Manitoba under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP), federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced here today. “When we invest in food processors, we’re helping them grow, stay competitive and ensure they can keep putting their high-quality food on tables here in Canada and around the world,” said MacDonald. “These projects will help build a stronger, more resilient food system while supporting good jobs in the process.” A total of 19 food processors in Manitoba have been approved for funding for equipment upgrades, facility expansions, and new technologies that will improve efficiency, production capacity and environmental performance. “These investments support our economy, strengthen our communities and ensure susta

Governments of Canada and Manitoba Announce Support for Livestock Producers Affected by Drought Conditions

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are announcing support measures to aid Manitoba’s livestock producers affected by drought conditions, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today. Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) will provide support measures through its AgriInsurance program, improving cash flow for livestock producers needing to secure additional feed. “Our livestock producers play a critical role in our food supply and our economy. We need to do everything we can to support them, especially in the face of these dry conditions,” said MacDonald. “These program changes will ensure producers in Manitoba receive claim payouts faster, so they can source other feed options as quickly as possible.” For claim calculation purposes, MASC will be applying a quality adjustment factor to reduce yield appraisals by 40 per cent for drought-stricken cereal crops (all varieties of wheat, oats, bar

Government Fulfills $2 Million Commitment to Food Banks of Saskatchewan

As announced in the 2025-26 Provincial Budget, the Government of Saskatchewan is providing $1 million to Food Banks of Saskatchewan in August 2025 to distribute to agencies across the province. "This funding fulfills our government's commitment to provide $2 million over two years to help Saskatchewan families and food banks with rising food costs," Social Services Minister Terry Jenson said. "By partnering with Food Banks of Saskatchewan once again this year, we are providing additional support to communities across our province." The $2 million commitment was first announced in July 2024, with the first $1 million installment provided to Food Banks of Saskatchewan in August 2024. The Ministry of Social Services will work with Food Banks of Saskatchewan to distribute the second $1 million installment in August 2025 to agencies based on the population and average food bank usage of the communities they serve. "Saskatchewan Food Banks are experiencing an unprecedented year of dema

Register for Keep it Clean’s webinar on pre-harvest tips to produce market-ready crops

Keep it Clean will host a webinar on Wednesday, July 30 at 11 a.m. CDT to inform Canadian growers, agronomists and retailers of key on-farm practices to avoid unacceptable product residues and answer any questions to help protect the marketability of Canada’s canola, cereal and pulse crops. Registration for the webinar, which will include a live Q&A with experts, is now open. The webinar will dive into key practices, including how to properly stage crops for pre-harvest glyphosate application, why it’s essential to follow pre-harvest intervals (PHIs) and how to scout effectively for disease. “Applying a product like pre-harvest glyphosate for weed control too early can lead to unacceptable residues in harvested grain, putting market access at risk,” says Krista Zuzak, Director, Crop Protection and Production at Cereals Canada. “Following label directions - like waiting until grain moisture is below 30 per cent in the least mature part of the field - helps prevent residue issues

iTradeNetwork Webinar – Register Now

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association (OFVGA), and the Association des producteurs maraîchers du Québec (APMQ) have been working with iTradeNetwork to schedule a series of webinars for growers.

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service