Drivers of change

There is little doubt the world’s population is increasing and climate is changing. More food will be needed to feed the increased human population and agriculture will need to become more productive to face both this and the impact of climate change. It has to be expected there will be more research into food alternatives and derivatives to fill food production deficits. The above will impact upon available food for our pets, especially as production processes become more efficient, for example the removal of meat from carcases.

Climate change

The main influence of climate change will be upon where available water can be found. It is expected future populations will live where they can find water. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report states that if current water management policies persist, and climate models prove correct, water scarcity will proliferate to regions where it currently does not exist, and will greatly worsen in regions where water is already scarce. Simultaneously, rainfall is projected to become more variable and less predictable, while warmer seas will fuel more violent floods and storm surges. Reduced freshwater availability and competition from other uses – such as energy and agriculture – could reduce water availability in cities by as much as two thirds by 2050, compared to 2015 levels.

The report of the world bank states that with ever more water needed to raise crops to feed the burgeoning global population, efforts to produce more food with less water are critical to averting a crisis. With the ongoing debate on a global water crisis, it would be easy to draw the conclusion that the earth is about to become a dessert. The reality is that the world is not running out of water and there is enough land and water to grow food and provide drinking water for everyone now and in the future.

A Technology Review on the future of agriculture in the Economist stated if agriculture is to continue to feed the world, it needs to become more like manufacturing. 

The United Nations reported the world population reached 7.3 billion in 2015 (one billion more since 2003).