THE FUTURE OF FOOD IN A WORLD OF 11 BILLION PEOPLE...

The Future of Food in a World of 11 Billion People

Patrick Dixon, author of the bestseller The Future of Almost Everything, explains how the world’s consumption and production of food will change over the coming decades.

Jun, 2016

Today, we grow enough food to feed 9 billion people, and in future we should be able to feed 11 billion. We waste over 40 per cent of the food we grow, worth USD3 trillion – in fields, storehouses, factories, warehouses, shops and rubbish bins.

We will see more genetically modified crops in many regions, with crops resistant to disease, drought, and able to grow in salty soil. Genetically modified animals will also be widely consumed in over 30 per cent of the world by 2040.

Expect a rise in the proportion of global grain production used to feed animals to more than 45 per cent beyond 2025. Already more than 70 per cent of grain produced by wealthy nations is fed to livestock. There are absolute limits on the availability of suitable land. Therefore, the price of farmland is likely to rise in many nations over the next 20 years.