16 October 2022
The focus of World Food Day this year is, Leave NO ONE behind.
“World Food Day reminds us how hard it is to sustainably feed a world that will reach a global population of nearly 10 billion by 2050. Farmers need to produce more while using fewer resources to ensure long-term sustainable food production,” said Mr Matthew Cossey, Chief Executive Officer of CropLife Australia, the national peak industry organisation for the plant science sector.
“Farmers need access to the latest farming innovations to help in reducing global hunger, malnutrition and poverty, and to meet the ever-increasing demands of consumers.
“The role of science in farming will only increase in the coming decades.
“Minimising crop losses through crop protection products will be key to meeting global food demand. Modern pesticides provide pest management solutions that prevent the loss of more than half of the world’s food crops every year.
“Biotech innovations are also helping farmers to reduce their environmental footprint with scientists and researchers developing food crops that are more resistant to drought, heat, salinity and pests.
“Biotechnology is also leading to crops with increased nutritional value. Innovations such as Golden Rice, an effective source of Vitamin A, and Cavendish bananas resistant to Panama Disease will generate more nutritious food for those that need it most.
“Food waste is also being tackled through biotechnology. Gene edited crops, like apples that reduce browning, will help tackle the widespread problem of food being thrown out when it’s actually fine to eat.”
Mr Cossey concluded, “Plant science innovations were at the centre of the Third Agricultural Revolution and will be again at the core of the Fourth Agricultural Revolution. To sustainably meet the important challenge of feeding the world, crop protection products and agricultural biotechnology has an important role to play.”