Agricultural research: A public commodity win-win partnership

May 2011

DR COBUS LE ROUX, GENERAL MANAGER, ARC-CROPS DIVISION

Advanced technologies are at the heart of our ability to increase agricultural efficiency and productivity. It furthermore successfully disputed the Malthusian growth model which predicted in the early 19th century that population growth will exceed agricultural production.

As a result we are all familiar with how well-directed research, new technologies and stable, high-yielding food crop cultivars constantly supply us with the needed affordable, healthy and safe food. It is therefore forecasted that this agricultural output will keep pace with the expected population growth from the current 6,8 billion to the 9,1 billion of 2050.

Notwithstanding this phenomenal performance, 925 million people (13%) still go to bed hungry. Not as a result of a lack of international agricultural output, but as a result of poverty (R9/day income) harmful economic systems, lack of capacity and infrastructure and a changing production environment. The latter manifests itself as increasing and prolonged droughts and floods.

These climatic effects are accentuated by exporting countries closing their borders for exports, which resulted in the food price hikes of 2008 and 2010/2011. The present food price index is at a record high of 238 (2002 - 2004 = 100) while world carryover cereal stocks are at the 2002/2003 levels. Luckily production usually responds quickly to consumption needs and will correct these high food prices and low carryover stocks. However, the remaining concern is the food starved people of Asia, the Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa.

Go to  https://www.grainsa.co.za/documents/SAGraan%20Mei%2011_Agri%20research.pdf  for the complete article.

Publication: May 2011

Section: Wenartikels