Report: World faces possible food crisis

LOS BANOS, Philippines, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- The International Rice Research Institute says declining agricultural productivity and growing demand have brought the world food situation to a crossroads.

Meeting in Los Banos, Philippines, the institute said failure to act through a wholesale reinvestment in agriculture -- including research into improved technologies, infrastructure development and training and education of agricultural scientists -- could lead to a long-term food crisis that would make the price spikes of 2008 seem a mere blip.

The warning is similar to other statements from organizations such as the World Bank, the World Food Program and the Asian Development Bank.

"First, growth in agricultural productivity is the only way to ensure that people have access to enough affordable food. Second, that achieving this is a long-term effort," said Elizabeth Woods, the chairwoman of the institute's board of trustees. "A year or two of extra funding for agricultural research is not enough. To ensure that improved technologies flow from the research and development pipeline, a sustained re-investment in agriculture is crucial."

Last week's meeting coincided with the release of a report by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization that said higher food prices are partly to blame for the increasing number of hungry people worldwide.