feeding 9 billion

Passion, drive and knowhow; the fundamental qualities of farmers according to a new video from BASF – we couldn’t agree more.

Albert Einstein is often quoted as saying “If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years to live”. The reference is of course to the production of our food through pollination, but it’s unlikely Einstein ever said this. It is also unlikely that the disappearance of bees would have such an immediately severe effect on human beings; however, bees and other pollinator species make an essential contribution to agriculture, so we should be asking the question – is there a pollinator crisis?

The Food and Agriculture Organisaton (FAO) estimates that by 2025, 1,800 million people will be living with water scarcity. As populations grow, so too do our demands on fresh water for hydration and sanitation and not least, food production. Agriculture uses a staggering 70% of available fresh water – making water supply a serious issue the world over.

As world food prices reach new highs, the food-insecure can expect to swell the ranks of the 1 billion chronically hungry. The United Nations tells us there is enough food for everyone – whilst almost one in six of us do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life.