Experts Take on Global Food Security Debate

Agricultural science is taking the center stage in the debate on global food security. Lloyd Le Page, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers, says that "science is rapidly rising" to new challenges like climate change and water scarcity, "with the benefit of more powerful tools and stronger partnerships for putting new knowledge to work."

Gerald Nelson, senior research fellow at the CGIAR's International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI), suggests that a 40 percent increase in the growth of cereal productivity is needed to contain growth in cereal prices by 2050. He questions whether technological innovation can deliver such increases and if investments will be made to support it. Juergen Voegele, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at the World Bank, calls for "very significant investments in agriculture R&D," and "a sustained global effort" to reduce rural poverty."

Read more about "Science on the menu for a food secure world" at http://cgiarinaction.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/science-on-the-menu-for-a-food-secure-world/.