Who will feed the people in the world by 2050?

Answer 1

We grow a little more than 2 billion tonnes of grains and oilseeds each year, and eat about 65% of that as humans. We convert 30% to meat by feeding livestock (and 3-5% into fuel through ethanol production). To feed 9 billion human beings by 2050, a 35% increase or so, we will have to: a) grow something like 35% more food. Very importantly, we have to do so by being more productive on the cropland we have, rather than removing more natural habitat. Hard to see how we'll do this without more and better technology. or b) feed a lower proportion of our yearly grains and oilseeds production to animals, and eat it ourselves instead. This implies eating less meat. or c) avoid using too much of our food supply for fuel. It's currently not huge, but if its growth were to continue it could become so. The answer is probably all of the above. We grow a little more than 2 billion tonnes of grains and oilseeds each year, and eat about 65% of that as humans. We convert 30% to meat by feeding livestock (and 3-5% into fuel through ethanol production). To feed 9 billion human beings by 2050, a 35% increase or so, we will have to: a) grow something like 35% more food. Very importantly, we have to do so by being more productive on the cropland we have, rather than removing more natural habitat. Hard to see how we'll do this without more and better technology. or b) feed a lower proportion of our yearly grains and oilseeds production to animals, and eat it ourselves instead. This implies eating less meat. or c) avoid using too much of our food supply for fuel. It's currently not huge, but if its growth were to continue it could become so. The answer is probably all of the above. We grow a little more than 2 billion tonnes of grains and oilseeds each year, and eat about 65% of that as humans. We convert 30% to meat by feeding livestock (and 3-5% into fuel through ethanol production). To feed 9 billion human beings by 2050, a 35% increase or so, we will have to: a) grow something like 35% more food. Very importantly, we have to do so by being more productive on the cropland we have, rather than removing more natural habitat. Hard to see how we'll do this without more and better technology. or b) feed a lower proportion of our yearly grains and oilseeds production to animals, and eat it ourselves instead. This implies eating less meat. or c) avoid using too much of our food supply for fuel. It's currently not huge, but if its growth were to continue it could become so. The answer is probably all of the above. We grow a little more than 2 billion tonnes of grains and oilseeds each year, and eat about 65% of that as humans. We convert 30% to meat by feeding livestock (and 3-5% into fuel through ethanol production). To feed 9 billion human beings by 2050, a 35% increase or so, we will have to: a) grow something like 35% more food. Very importantly, we have to do so by being more productive on the cropland we have, rather than removing more natural habitat. Hard to see how we'll do this without more and better technology. or b) feed a lower proportion of our yearly grains and oilseeds production to animals, and eat it ourselves instead. This implies eating less meat. or c) avoid using too much of our food supply for fuel. It's currently not huge, but if its growth were to continue it could become so. The answer is probably all of the above.