Biotech Updates

ADB Report: Comprehensive Approach Must Be Implemented for Food Security and Poverty Reduction in Asia

May 11, 2012

The Asian Development Bank released a report titled Food Security and Poverty in Asia and the Pacific: Key Challenges and Policy Issues during the 45th Annual Meeting of Board of Governors held at the Philippine International Convention Center in April 2012.

The study estimated that the world's population will increase by more than two billion by 2050, wherein half will be from Asia. According to the report, Asian economies must understand that food security and poverty reduction are interconnected and that adoption of a comprehensive approach to address both concerns is necessary. 

It was also indicated in the report that advances in biotechnology could significantly increase farm production by developing crops that can thrive under climate change conditions and with less water. "More research and better technologies are also needed in livestock production and fisheries, as people shift dietary preferences from cereal grains to meat and vegetables," the report said, adding that other fields of research and development include efficient, sustainable use of dwindling arable land and water resources.

Download a copy of the report at http://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/pub/2012/food-security-poverty.pdf.