Note:  Dr. Fuglie was unable to speak at the January luncheon of the Society, however, he did supply us with his presentation.  You can download it here>>  Fuglie_RD to feed the world_PSPA_2015

No one doubts the challenges facing the world in feeding the 9.6 billion people by 2050 largely in Asia and Africa. The 2014 Global Agricultural Productivity Report produced by the Global Harvest Initiative indicates that “productivity in agriculture is not accelerating fast enough to meet the expected agricultural demand by 2050 through sustainable practices.” The report calls for “action to invest in proven strategies that boost productivity and conserve the natural resources.”

Our speaker on January 8th, Dr. Keith Fuglie, Economist at USDA in Washington DC explains that “To meet this challenge in a sustainable way, major improvements in agricultural productivity will be necessary.” However “serious weaknesses in the global agricultural R&D system are emerging and pose a major risk to the long-term prospects for the global food economy.”

Our world-renowned Land Grant College and Extension system has been based on research, education and extension. We have also been very fortunate in having many private sector commercial and non-profit organizations deeply involved in basic and applied research and development. Research is surely the foundation.

This will be an important topic for us to understand how important it will be for us to maintain and increase our research funding and efforts if we are to meet future food, feed, fiber and energy needs.