The world’s next breadbasket

The countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia have vast untapped agricultural resources and can play a vital role in improving world food security, the FAO and EBRD said at the opening of a two-day meeting in Istanbul today.
With global demand for food, feed and fibre set to double in the first half of the century as the world expects a population increase of 2.3 billion people while facing daunting environmental challenges, agriculture must become more productive and more sustainable, the organisations urged. According to FAO estimates, the world will need to produce 70 per cent more food by 2050 to meet increased demand.
At the meeting in Istanbul representatives from international financial institutions, development agencies, donor governments, the private sector and government officials discussed how targeted investment and improved policies could help unleash the region’s agricultural potential while protecting the natural resource base and the welfare of producers and consumers.

News source: EBRD link: article