5. Food security and sustainable production systems

As we have seen, demographers agree that the world's population will be around 8 billion by 2030, and perhaps less than 10 billion by 2050. The question of the planet's capacity to feed this multitude was the subject of several major studies in the run-up to the World Food Summit held in Quebec City in 1996 to mark the 50th anniversary of the FAO. On this occasion, the theme of food security was much debated. For developing country experts, food security is the ability of a country and the international community to ensure adequate supplies for the populations of nations affected by structural or cyclical deficits. In affluent countries, this term, which appeared in the wake of the 1996 mad cow crisis, refers to food safety. Finally, public opinion has become increasingly aware of the environmental risks posed by agricultural production. These three issues - "quantitative" food safety, "qualitative"...