Future Food Systems

Abstract

The global population is projected to rise to over 9.7 billion in 2050 implying that agricultural  production has to respond to the anticipated rise in demand for food and as constantly  emphasized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Understanding the human  population growth trends, regional income disparities, global dietary patterns, rise in per  capita consumption and urbanization are very critical in design of sustainable future food  systems. This should occur in light of the increased climatic risk characterized by climate  change and the subsequent increases in climatic variability. Food systems account for elements  such as the environment, people, inputs, processes, infrastructures, institutions and activities  related to the production, processing, distribution, preparation and consumption of food. The  outcomes of the activities are also integral part of the food systems (FAO 2014). A report by  World Bank (2015) underlines the need to transit the current food systems to more sustainable  ones to address the current and projected food and nutrition demands. It is expected that  global per capita food consumption will rise by 210 calories per day from 2,860 in 2015 to  3,070 in 2050 (Alexandratos and Bruinsma 2012). This implies that critical technological and  innovative thought has to be directed towards development of sustainable food systems. The  future food systems have to inevitably digress from current systems that are usually land based  mainly in rural areas