Growers will have to substantially increase both the quantity and quality of their yields in the coming decades, but environmental constraints threaten their ability to do so.
At current levels of waste, farmers will have to grow 70% more food to feed the world’s population in 2050.
Despite annual gains in crop production, farmers may still not meet the world’s growing need for food.
Feeding our growing population will require a variety of innovations, including: more effective, more sustainable farming practices; new seed and crop protection technologies; better use of data; and more efficient, less wasteful food distribution systems.
Water is scarce in 28% of total worldwide agricultural land. About 70% of the world’s supply of fresh water is used to produce food.
In addition, 69% of agricultural land is losing productivity because of deforestation, poor farming practices, climate change and urban expansion.
Notwithstanding all of this, if we work together, we can make sure our global food systems provide enough food for everyone. New farming practices and technologies are absolutely vital.
Farmers need to obtain higher yields by protecting crops and the environment. They need seeds that make better food, and they also need data and analytics to ensure next year is even better.
As a result, people’s overall standard of living will improve, along with the quality of food they eat.
We need farms that can do things this season they couldn’t do last season. We need to answer a global demand for more food, and especially for protein.
And we need collaborations — within agriculture and beyond it — to figure out how we can better serve farmers and consumers.
Corteva is committed to enriching the lives of those who produce and those who consume.
Through partnerships we are already increasing access to technologies and improving agronomic practices to enrich the lives of smallholder farmers, and grow our business in emerging economies.
In Ethiopia, Corteva partnered with government, USAID and ACDI/VOCA (from 2013 to 2018) to increase the productivity of 250 000 smallholder farmers by 300%, and increase their annual income by US$1 500 (about R22 540).
Corteva is now replicating and scaling this model of partnership in Indonesia, Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria.
Successful projects such as this one prove that new technology and smarter agronomic practices can make a massive difference to brighten up the gloomy picture so often painted in media reports.
Corteva believes bold leadership, strong partnerships and continuing progress in innovation can change our world for the good.