NEWS
THE WESTERN PRODUCER | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | FEBRUARY 27, 2014
49
RESEARCH | INNOVATION IMPACT STUDY
Combination of farming technologies could take bite out of world hunger Determining best combinations | Study finds no-till combined with irrigation improves corn yields 67 percent CHICAGO (Reuters) — A tailored mix of farming technologies could significantly improve global food security by mid-century, according to a new study. Global corn yields could jump by as much as 67 percent by 2050, while wheat and rice yields may rise 20 percent if certain innovations are paired, the International Food Policy Research Institute said in a study titled Food Security in a World of Natural Resource Scarcity. Widespread adoption of technologies, including biotech crops, irrigation and no-till farming, could reduce world food prices by nearly half and cut food insecurity by as much as 36 percent, the institute said. The study weighed the impacts of 11 technologies on corn, rice and wheat yields, crop prices, trade and world hunger and found that certain combinations worked better than others. The findings could help identify practices that cash-strapped developing nations should target to combat hunger. “The reality is that no single agricultural technology or farming practice will provide sufficient food for the world in 2050,” said Mark Rosegrant, the study’s lead author. Farmers in the developing world would see the biggest overall yield gains. The institute said producers in the Middle East and parts of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean should grow drought-tolerant grain, while heat-tolerant varieties offer promising yield results in North America and South Asia. Yield gains from specific technologies were higher when combined with irrigation. “We also find that a lot of these technologies can make really large impacts on the environmental side,” said co-author Claudia Ringler. “We find reductions in harvested area needed to feed the world. We find much better outcomes on calorie availability, the number of malnourished children and generally the population at risk of hunger, and they use less natural resources,” she said. The institute parsed the world’s arable farmland into 60 by 60 kilometre squares and gauged the impact of the technologies and practices on yields of corn, wheat and rice under two climate change scenarios. Positive yield findings were then plugged into an economic model that projected their impact on commodity prices, trade and food security. The institute found that no-till farming increased corn yields by 20 percent. However, yields could rise 67 percent when no-till is combined with irrigation. Corn yields in subSaharan Africa could double by 2050 with widespread adoption of irrigation and no-till. Drought-tolerant corn could bolster yields by 13 percent in the United States and China, which are the top two corn consumers. Heat-tolerant varieties of wheat
could raise grain yields by 17 percent, and, yields may jump 23 percent when combined with irrigation. Precision agriculture technology was found to boost wheat yields by 25 percent. Nutrient-efficient rice varieties could produce 22 percent more grain, the study said.
SNOW TIRES | yourself repair. |
A loader moves a pair of large wheels around the yard of Sexsmith Used Farm Parts. The Alberta company provides equipment parts for do-it-
RANDY VANDERVEEN PHOTO
The complete solution. Grassy and broadleaf weed control for wheat and barley, no tank mixing. For more information, please visit BayerCropScience.ca/Tundra
BayerCropScience.ca/Tundra or 1 888-283-6847 or contact your Bayer CropScience representative. Always read and follow label directions. Tundra® is a registered trademark of the Bayer Group. Bayer CropScience is a member of CropLife Canada.
C-59-02/14-10182733-E