Food security and the transition region
Directions in Investment series - N. 6 - 2011
Population growth, accelerated urbanization and higher incomes are expected to lead to an increase in food demand by about 70 percent by 2050 – involving 1 billion extra tons of cereals and 200 million extra tons of meat. The transition region, which ranges from Central and Eastern Europe to Central Asia, can play a significant role in
meeting this challenge. The region, with 17 percent of global arable land, produces only 11 percent of global crops and 6 per cent of global meat. In contrast to most other regions in the world, yields have stagnated in the region since the 1970s.
Estimates show that average yields in the region could be increased by 75 percent. Additionally, up to 13 million ha of extra land could be brought into production. In order to finance such productivity gains, it is foreseen that two thirds of the investments at stake will come from the private sector.
This report has two objectives:
- Analyse internal food security issues in the transition region - in particular in relation with policy measures taken by governments to ensure domestic food security
- Discuss the potential role that the region and in particular the main grain producing countries can play in increasing global food security by unleashing its production potential
|Food security and the transition region