PARIS — The world has been shaken by unprecedented spikes in food prices, by hunger riots, and by social tensions that demonstrate that food supplies have returned as a source of insecurity — to which global warming and declining natural resources are adding unprecedented urgency.
By 2050, it is estimated that there will be 9 billion people on Earth, so the need for food may double — primarily among urban populations in the world's poorest countries.
But there is more to finding a solution than simply identifying those nations that are capable of feeding the rest of the world. It is increasingly urgent that every nation gain the means of feeding itself. This means that agriculture should become an international priority, with the poorest countries helped to safeguard the security and independence of their food supplies.