World Bank, IMF discuss food security

Global Business

Food Security entails getting high-quality food from farm to table in a sustainable way. It’s a challenge that political leaders, scientists, and researchers gathered to tackle during this year’s IMF and World Bank meetings. CCTV America’s Rachelle Akuffo reports.

The World Bank considers agriculture an important factor in reducing global poverty and hunger. With extreme weather continuing to take its toll on crops, the impact of climate change on food security has become a critical issue.

Agriculture is particularly vulnerable to climate change and also one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases, which could be exacerbated by a growing urban population.

Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, and Africa’s biggest economy, Nigeria, are both investing heavily in food security. Germany has also pledged $1 billion to help developing countries with climate change projects by 2020. Nigeria has also taken the agricultural sector from the hands of government to the private sector.

Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with 70 percent of the population under the age of 30. However, unemployment is still staggeringly high. Nigeria is enthusiastic about getting the youth to choose careers in agriculture.

The World Bank estimates that food production will need at least a 50 percent boost by the year 2050 in order to feed a world population of 9 billion people. Even if the food makes it to the hungry, it may not be nutritious, and society’s most vulnerable suffer.

Malnutrition By Region:

  • Rural Africa: 37 percent
  • India: 45 percent
  • United States: 7 percent

CCTV America interviewed Daniel White, an international agriculture and climate specialist about the importance of agriculture.