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In his opening remarks he said "We have to increase food production by 70 percent between now and 2050 with at best the same natural resources we have available today".

Economic growth is also driving demand for more food. Today, changes in diets which will lead to more demand for agri commodities are most visible in China and other Asian economies. Furthermore, biofuels are demanding an ever larger share of agri commodities with over one-third of the US maize crop used for bioethanol representing about 15% of the world production of maize. More than half of the sugarcane area in Brazil and about two-thirds of the European rapeseed crop is used for biodiesel production. Moerland said that demand for biofuel is driven by government mandates and subsidies, and when we look at today's biofuel policies and planned biofuel policies; this demand is expected to grow in the coming decade.

Moerland spoke of the constraints on natural resources and how the area of arable land has increased by only 7 percent in the last 40 years. Land is being claimed by erosion, degradation, and urban expansion and there are fewer opportunities to convert extensive grasslands and other areas to arable land. Moreover, the investments costs required to unlock agricultural land are high.

He continued by saying that water availability for agricultural production will also decline. And that the world is running out of minerals such as phosphorous and potassium. "Today's known reserves are estimated to be sufficient for a further 300 years of extraction at today's exploration rate. But, let's not forget, there are no alternatives for these minerals, and so we cannot continue business as usual into future generations.

"Thus, we have to increase resource efficiency in global agriculture. In other words, we have to do more with less. In primary agriculture, we have to increase land productivity as well as water productivity – crop per drop – and increase mineral productivity."

We will have to ask ourselves whether we can and want to continue current consumption patterns. Today, more people suffer from overweight than from hunger. Can the world meet the growing demand for meat if meat production is so much more resource-intensive than plant alternatives? Do consumers know or understand the impact of the choices they make? Do they know what the environmental footprint of their food consumption is and how they can reduce this footprint? If the answer is NO to any or all these questions, we have a responsibility to better inform consumers; to raise consumer awareness of the consequences of the choices they make in relation to their daily food consumption.

There is no "one–size–fits–all" solution for increasing production by increasing productivity.

Yield Gaps and enabling farmers

Yield gaps – the difference between the possible and the achieved average yield – differ around the world. Where yield gaps are large, especially in Africa, South America, and the Black Sea Region, yields can be improved by adopting best practices from elsewhere. But investments are needed in land transformation, infrastructure development, and agricultural development.

Moerland said that the "Key to improving productivity in agriculture is improving the enabling environment for farmers. By this, we mean the investment climate in its broadest sense. It ranges from infrastructure, access to knowledge, to credit and to inputs, education of farmers, and R&D to optimise agronomic practices and to improve inputs, such as seeds and crop protection chemicals."

Looking at yield gaps around the world, the largest yield gaps occur where the enabling environment is poorest, citing Africa as an example it is estimated that agriculture productivity in Africa is on average one-fifth of that achievable with current technology.

Rabobank's Role in meeting the challenge

Moerland stated that he saw Rabobank's role in meeting the world's food challenge by providing finance throughout the whole food chain from farmer to retail chain, worldwide and at competitive interest rates. By doing so, Rabobank is contributing to the enabling environment for companies throughout the food chain. Our ambition is not only to finance farmers, but also to contribute to making their operation more sustainable.

In addition, Rabobank connects the dots by creating and bringing together in a global network, clients, government representatives, knowledge institutions, scientists, and NGOs.


The Rural Entrepeneur

The 'Rural Entrepreneur' plays a vital role in the Food Security issue. This is the reason that Rabobank has organized the first ever Global Farmers Master Class. This event brought together 50 farmers from 18 different countries to debate the future of the farming industry on a global level. They shared their views and expertise with researchers, senior business executives and industry experts. This has resulted in a book which is titled 'The Future of Farming'. The book identifies and analyses the major challenges facing the farming industry.


Moerland concluded by calling upon companies, governments and NGOs, to take responsibility in contributing to a sustainable increase in worldwide food production. "By looking for opportunities to dedicate the skills and expertise of your organisation to this goal so that your organisation will also benefit in the long term. In this way, we are all contributing to the world food challenge while strengthening our own organisations. I firmly believe that this approach is the most sustainable way to aid developments in developing economies."

To read the full text of Piert Moerland's speech click here