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Land Investment Helps Food Security

Yet another top scientific report has emphasised the acute problem of food security currently facing the world's ever-increasing population. With up to 50% more food needed over the next half century, investment in soft commodities via investment in agricultural farmland has the perfect exit strategy.

The latest report into the huge food security challenge comes from the Royal Society, the national academy of science in the UK and Commonwealth. The report titled ‘Reaping the Benefits: Science and the Sustainable Intensification of Global Agriculture' argues that the UK should spend £2 billion on crop research over the next decade to ensure that the world has enough to eat by 2050.

One of the main themes behind the report is the immediate call to action. "We need to take action now to stave off food shortages," said Sir David Baulcombe, Chairman of the report. "If we wait even five to ten years it may be too late," he said, underlining the sense of urgency.

This sense of needing to act now before it's too late is very real. Speaking on BBC News, Sir Baulcombe said that "several scientific studies have all identified over the next 30 to 40 years the need for a massive increase in the amount of food that is produced". By 2050, the world's population could well number 9 billion and all these new mouths will need feeding. This means food production will have to grow by 50% - a tall order in a world where the supply of suitable farmland is limited.

One of the few countries where agricultural land is still available is Ukraine. Here, vast tracts of farmland currently lie fallow - BBC Newsnight recently quoted that the amount of unexploited agricultural land in Ukraine is the equivalent of the size of England - and the land's rich black soil is one of the most fertile in the world. The availability of land together with its fertility is one of the main factors behind the recent surge in interest in investment in Ukraine land.

But fertile land isn't enough on its own and extensive research is required to boost yields from farmland. The Royal Society believes that UK research should lead the bid to meet the huge challenge of producing enough food to feed the world. These research efforts need to focus on several key areas in agriculture. These include improving irrigation to avoid the effects of drought on crops, better crop and plant management, and genetic modification to allow higher yields of stronger crops.

As an additional challenge, the research needs to achieve these improvements without damaging the environment. The research will also have to take into account the effects of climate change. According to the Royal Society, climate change will increase "the scale of the challenge ahead".

The Royal Society's report concludes that "if we are to overcome the challenge that now lies before us we will need an even greater agricultural revolution". Part of that revolution is already taking place in the fields of Ukraine where millions of tonnes of grain are produced and exported to the hungry world. But more food is needed and as this need grows so will investment in Ukraine land.

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