Global Food Security and Declining Agricultural Productivity

Abstract

The world's farmlands must take the lead in the fight to feed the world's anticipated 9
billion people. Broad-based economic development, especially increased agricultural
investment for better land, water, and nutrient use, might mitigate the negative
consequences of climate change on food security. Benefits include increased food
security, livelihoods, and environmental security will result from better crop, soil, and
water management techniques as well as stress-tolerant cultivars that will withstand
the negative effects of climate change. The dryland tropics, where the International
Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is mandated, are
among the agricultural systems most vulnerable to climate change. In order to help
farmers escape poverty, ICRISAT's new Strategy to 2020 places a strong emphasis on
inclusive market-oriented development (IMOD), which connects farmers to markets
and raises incomes through strategic partnerships and a systems perspective. Through
its research focus on lowering vulnerability to heat, drought, and other climate change
scenarios, ICRISAT seeks to create resilient dryland systems. ICRISAT's short
duration chickpea varieties, which have made it possible to expand the crop into
tropical latitudes in Asia and Africa, sustainable soil management techniques like
microdosing, conservation agriculture, and projects like the Sahelian Eco-Farm, as
well as knowledge-based and people-centric entry-point activities in its community
based watersheds, have all been significant turning points on its path toward climate
responsibility.