The World’s Challenge (eBook)

Marion Guillou has been the President of the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) since 2004. A graduate of the École Polytechnique, she is an agricultural engineer and holds a doctorate in Food and Nutrition Sciences. Gérard Matheron has been the President of the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) since 2010. He is an agronomist and holds a doctorate in Quantitative Genetics.

AcknowledgementsIntroduction1. Setting the stageScience enters the equationA closer look at the issueWhy nine billion?Food for all: two different scenariosAgrimonde: the resultsLessons learned from the Agrimonde study: change is in order2. Eat well, eat betterChanges at the root of nutritional imbalancesGetting to the root of profound changesOver nutrition and healthTaking action: a how to3. Reducing losses and waste at consumption, distribution and processing levelsThe scope of the issueLosses at different stages and technical solutions currently implementedChange is in the order4. Reducing post-harvest losses in developing nationsHarvest-related losses: a reality in developed nations as wellWhy post-harvest losses in developing countries matterThe challenge of quantifying post-harvest lossesDespite difficulties in quantifying losses, one thing is clear: post-harvest losses are significantPost-harvest losses and when they occurNext stepsAnnex5. Producing other goodsWhat is biomass?High expectations for energyNew possibilities for green chemistryMeeting these new needs by choosing the right biomassHow these prospects change the hunger equationThe world’s challenge. Feeding 9 billion people6. Managing ecosystem servicesAgriculture and ecosystem servicesBiodiversity’s key role in ecological regulating servicesUsing and managing ecosystem services7. Will there be enough land?Agricultural land: a look at the current situationThe impact of climate change on agricultural production potentialNon-food uses for biomass: an excessive need for land?Economic, policy and social factors affecting land use conversion8. The need to strive for productive yet ecological agricultureOptimised productivity of arable landEnvironmental degradationIncreased, improved production: a realistic goal?Intensive, capital-poor agriculture: the case of South-East AsiaAgricultural systems with productivity reservesIs sub-Saharan agriculture in need of new development?Thinking and acting globally9. Feeding the world starts with fighting povertyMapping hungerThe usual suspect: blaming malnutrition on a lack of available foodThe link between food and poverty: common assumptions and misconceptionsCharting a course of action10. Towards a global governance of foodRe-examining the food riotsWe must step back from agriculture in order to understand itDiets: a factor of future needReinvesting in agriculture: an urgent necessityFighting povertyRegulation: rules as a safety netThe need for global governance of food security as a “public good”Dedicated agronomic researchConclusionPreventing catastropheReferencesGlossary