Agriculture's Challenges in
Overcoming Global Hunger

From Mr. Howard Minigh.
Sir, This month, a special Group of Eight meeting of agriculture ministers . convenes for the first time. Farmers, scientists and industry have prepared a joint call to action, Farming First, to respond to the global food 'challenges presented in Javier BIas' . article "GS warns of hunger threat to global security" (April 7). Agriculture plays a key role in abating hunger and poverty, and a failure to address this issue at the '. global level risks allowing hunger to . 'Proliferate as our population grows another 1.7bn by 2030 and the ratio of arable land to population dectinesby 40-55 per cent. Increase in demand.

Over the next 30 years will require double the average annual production gains of the past 30 years. We need to produce much more, yet on the same amount of land, and in a way that is sustainable .. Farming First calls for a broad-based, knowledge-centred approach to increase agricultural output in a sustainable, socially responsible manner. The platform is focused on helping subsistence farmers become small-scale entrepreneurs. Action is needed in. six key areas: safeguarding natural resources, . sharing knowledge, building local access, protecting harvests, enabling access to markets, and pnontising research imperatives.

Modern agriculture has helped to. accomplish important productivity gains, and further improving the sustainability of conventional agriculture through technologies and knowledge is the means to advance the vast majority of global agriculture. We hope the G8 and invited agriculture ministers will focus on solutions that encourage research and innovation, knowledge sharing, and protecting harvests.