Lecture gives optimistic view on the future of world hunger

Daniel Gustafson addresses the challenge the world will face by 2050

Katie Maness

Correspondent

The Director of Food and Agriculture Organization for the United Nations spoke Monday on his perspective of the future of world hunger.

“It is going to be a serious issue for a long time,” Gustafson said. “We need to look quite critically at it.”

The goal Gustafson said he looks forward to is reduce the number of the hungry population to 370 million by 2050, and for hunger to be eliminated one day.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization the hungry, otherwise known as undernourished, are defined as, “the result of prolonged low levels of food intake and/or low absorption of food consumed.”

The developing regions are most likely to be affected by hunger, especially in the rural population, according to Gustafson. He said this is due to the lack of employment growth in relation to the growth of the rural population.

Gustafson said he believes that hunger and poverty are a two-way relationship.

According to Gustafson, from 2007 to 2008 there was an increase in the number of hungry people around the world from 900 million to over 1 billion and 2008 was a record year for agriculture production. Although enough food was produced for everyone in the world, Gustafson said that the increase of the hungry population was “due to high prices.”

Gustafson said there were many necessary tasks at hand but that the three main goals that agriculture will have to meet to eliminate hunger are to meet food and energy needs of 9.1 billion, cop with scarce resources and shift to more sustainable production, and adapt to agro-ecological changes in climate.

Erin Miller, freshman in animal science, said she thinks positive results are possible as long as everyone works together and acts now.

“If we wait more than a year than we are going to be in a lot of trouble by 2050,” Miller said.

Gustafson said there is a need for a 70 percent increase in food production, leading to an extra 1 billion tons of cereal, and 200 million tons of meat.

Gustafson said the developing countries do have adequate natural resources, such as land, to grow the necessary amount of food.

“To get a 100 percent increase, you don’t have to go tear down the Amazon,” Gustafson said.

The common belief among students Miller said was that the developing countries do not have the potential to produce enough food. She said she was surprised by the information Gustafson provided.

“[Biotechnology] is a bigger concept with a lot of potential,” Gustafson said. “However it hasn’t really had an impact in the crops that poor farmers grow.”

Gustafson said if the goal is reached then there will be a “different world than we have been used to.”

Claire Lucas, a freshman in engineering, said she was impressed by Gustafson’s outlook.

“I think it is a good optimistic approach, but all of our efforts need to be focused on it instead of wars,” Lucas said.

Gustafson said there is a chance for the world to be improved by 2050 but not without effort.

Gustafson said, “I am cautiously optimistic about 2050, but a lot needs to happen to make it a reality.”