Scientists call for more protection of the environment in food production
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UNEP’s Chief Scientist Alcamo presents food security report to H.E. President Kibaki of Kenya:UNEP
The global debate on food security must also take the environment into consideration, a new report recommends.
Launched by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) on World Food Day, 16 October, the study calls for safeguarding the ecological foundations which support food production.
It was written by 12 scientists and experts who say protecting biodiversity will be critical to feeding the estimated nine billion inhabitants on the planet by 2050.
James Lomax is a UNEP Programme Officer.
"We are really getting to the stage in our current food systems whereby we're almost making the natural processes that traditionally produce the food obsolete by substituting them with artificial inputs." (Duration:12″)
The study also finds that inefficiencies in the food delivery chain have resulted in the loss or waste of 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year.
It covers various areas including food consumption patterns, agricultural production, marine fisheries and inland fisheries.
