The need for every kind of agriculture the world has to offer

On Wednesday 25 February, the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) published the final results for the first phase of its prospective study, Agrimonde - "World farming and nutrition in 2050", which has been underway since mid-2006 in collaboration with the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD). The aim of the study is to examine the place of French and European agriculture in the different scenarios for global transition and identify the fundamental issues faced by agricultural research. Its conclusion, based on the comparison of a number of hypotheses, is that it will be possible to feed the planet sustainably in 2050, taking into account demographic growth.

There are however a number of conditions for this, including increased investment in infrastructure and research, in order to boost yields as well as develop sustainable production methods, and proactive policies for organising and regulating agricultural and food trade between regions.

According to the authors of the report, certain regions, such as the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, will still have a lack of agricultural and food products in 2050; only the development of regulated trade will enable them to maintain a certain degree of food security.

This Inra/Cirad study is a very welcome revelation of the need for trade to be regulated in order to guarantee food security for humanity worldwide; at a time when the Doha cycle is increasingly taking centre stage, the study adds further credibility to the international consensus which is taking shape regarding the need for international agricultural markets to benefit from international governance.