BREAKING THE BARRIERS TO FOOD AND
WATER INSECURITY
Chandra A. Madramootoo P.Eng.
Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
McGill University
Founding Chair, McGill Conferences on Global Food
Security
World population expected to be around 9 billion
by 2050
Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific will
need to increase food production by up to 77%
One in three people on every continent
affected by water scarcity
Limited land base for
food production expansion
Climate extremes
Global Irrigated and Rainfed
Cropland Statistics
• 1,500 million ha of global cropland
• 275 m ha irrigated (17%)
• Irrigated lands produce 40% of
world’s food
• 1,250 m ha of rainfed lands
producing 60% of the world’s food
(Pardey, 2009)
(Source: FAOSTAT, 2013)
Wheat Yield Gap - ICARDA
Closing the Yield Gap
Crop traits
Germplasm
CO2
Radiation
Temperature
Climate
Water
Nutrients
Weeds
Pests
Disease
Soils
Biotic
Stresses
Viruses, bacteria,
fungi, pathogens,
parasites, pests,
weeds
Abiotic
Stresses
Water, drought,
heat
Genomics Assisted Breeding
High throughput facility for genome
sequencing and bioinformatics
How to get
Modern Varieties
to Farmers?
Cultivar Release by Decade in SSA
(Source: CGIAR ISPC, 2014)
Number of Improved Maize Varieties
Released by Decade and Origin
(Source: CGIAR ISPC, 2014)
Sustainable intensification
for greater food security:
• Higher level of management
• Improved agronomic inputs
• Integrated systems management
to protect biodiversity and
environmental quality
Relative Yield Losses in Maize Crops
in Sub-Saharan Africa
(Source: Gibbon et al., 2007)
TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY
(TFP)
• Availability
of research and extension services
• Availability of credit
• Institutional support
• Government policies
• Markets and prices
• Physical infrastructure servicing the agricultural sector
• Roads, railways, ports
• Transportation services
• Labour availability and quality
• Educational services and skills training
Influence of Total Factor Productivity
on Agricultural Growth
(Source: Fuglie, 2012)
Impact of Total Factor Productivity
on Agricultural Output by Region
(Source: Fuglie, 2012)
Hypothesis of Hope
Innovations in Climate
Change Mitigation
• Sequester carbon
• Reduce GHG emission
• Improve soil productivity
Conservation Agriculture
An integrated systems approach to water, soil,
carbon and fertilizer management
Invest in water savings technologies
Application of sensor technology & models
VRI Prescription
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