As the population continues to rise and the planet faces drought and lagging agricultural productivity, food price volatility has soared. Can innovation and technology come to the rescue?
In 2012, the global population surpassed 7 billion as the planet faced severe droughts, soaring commodity prices, and lagging agricultural productivity. Food price volatility is at its highest amplitude in more than 50 years, according to the International Food Policy Research Institute, while prices have reached levels not seen since the 1970s (see figure 1). Are we facing an epic food and population disaster as English economist Thomas Malthus predicted in 1798, or will innovation and technology come to the rescue? The reality is too complex for a simple Malthusian calculus to answer, but we do know that the next decade will be a volatile and disruptive era for the food industry and consumers. Changes in weather, consumption, and global trade will fundamentally alter traditional operating models for most companies.
See full Press Release: http://www.atkearney.com/gbpc/ideas-insights/featured-article/-/asset_publisher/0cePdOWatojD/content/recipe-for-change-can-we-feed-the-world-/10192
Posts
