In conditions of climate uncertainty and unreliability, and increasing real prices of fossil fuel, major technological advances at least equivalent to the Green revolution of the 1970s are needed.
I think world leaders also need to make a commitment to economic growth in developing countries. For the increasing global population to be able to make a decent living requires growth - in direct contradiction to the ‘green’ notion that self-sufficient organic peasantry is the only sustainable solution.
Efficient and effective feeding of the world’s increasing population is very unlikely to involve more people being engaged in growing food than at present, and is very likely to require very substantially fewer people than now.
Multilateral managed food stocks should be built up for emergencies. These could be real or virtual (in the form of promises).
So the future presents both risks and opportunities for businesses. If we do not find a solution to food security soon businesses everywhere could face disruption and major uncertainty. But if governments reach accord and agree to fund progress, the growth opportunities resulting from a revolution in agriculture, particularly in terms of new technologies, could be huge.
