Six specialists in their field debated the hefty topic - how can we feed the world - at CropWorld 2010 on Monday. The perfect storm of rising population, diminishing resources, set against the background of climate change, presents a significant challenge to world agriculture over the next 30 years.

The debate highlighted the need to focus on production where the food is needed. The majority of the world's hungry are in developing countries and the prediction for the highest population growth is in these same regions.
Focusing on the Western world to produce more is not going to solve the problem. James Townshend cited the example this year in Russia where Velcourt's wheat yields were less than 50% of budget and that their approach to increasing green area index had exacerbated the situation during the drought.

Genetic modification which can confer drought tolerance or improve yields from impoverished soils may help. Professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC, argued that developing plants with deeper root systems would significantly improve retention of nutrients and water and would lead to greater sustainable yields.

However, the most likely solution would come from increasing small holder production in the developing world. Both Dr Ajay Parida and Dr Mike Bushell gave examples of how yields and productivity had increased for small holders in India and Africa through improved technology transfer. These benefits exemplified the need to reverse the decline in agriculture extension services and that knowledge transfer could hold the key to feeding the world.