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Food security has recently become a major issue as the world has woken up to the challenge ahead - feeding nine billion people by 2050.
Climate change will be the backdrop against which the extra food needs to be produced, and is likely to exacerbate water shortages, reduce crop yields and create new pest and disease threats. And in the quest for new energy sources to power the world it is likely that biofuels will compete for space with agricultural crops.
So what can we do about this? At the top level, the solutions are quite simple, whether they are for a nation, a village or a family – GROW MORE AND LOSE LESS. This means agriculture needs to be placed at the centre of the development agenda.
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CABI’s work focuses on cutting crop losses through helping farmers manage the pests and diseases that affect their crops and by working with them to improve the quality of their produce. As a result, farmers have more to sell at market and can make a better living. As part of our project work, our staff have been working with farmers in Africa to help reduce losses of grain in storage by managing maize pests more effectively, whilst in Afghanistan we are helping to improve yields of orchard crops to restore this sector post-conflict.
We also support agricultural researchers around the world by providing comprehensive, global coverage of the latest research via our bibliographic databases. In addition, we publish multimedia resources such as the Crop Protection Compendium which provide practical guidance on managing pests and diseases to extension workers around the world.