Top Page | English | 简体中文 | 繁體中文 | 한국어 | 日本語
Monday, 29 July 2024, 12:00 HKT/SGT
Share:
    

Source: CropLife Asia
CropLife Asia Champions Agricultural Innovation & Technology as Essential Tools in Combating Hunger & Food Insecurity in Asia
According to New UN Report - Asia Remains Home to Most People Facing Hunger / Food Insecurity

SINGAPORE, July 29, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - With the recent release of the United Nations (UN) 2024 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, CropLife Asia and its member companies are highlighting the increasingly critical role agricultural innovation and technology play in enabling and empowering regional farmers to produce the safe, nutritious and affordable food that drives food security in Asia.

According to the 2024 SOFI report, between 713 and 757 million people may have faced hunger globally in 2023 (or one out of 11 people). Meanwhile, Asia remains home to both the largest number of those facing hunger globally at 384.5 million as well as the most people experiencing moderate-to-severe food insecurity (1.18 billion) – up from 1.7 billion people the previous year[i]. The challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger (SDG2) remains daunting with 582 million people projected to be chronically undernourished by 2030[ii]

Furthermore, a healthy diet remains unaffordable for 2.83 billion people worldwide as highlighted in the SOFI report. The cost of a healthy diet has risen since 2017 globally, peaking at an average of 3.96 PPP dollars per person per day in 2022 which is a 11 percent increase compared to 2021[iii]. Compared to the global average, the cost of a healthy diet is the second highest in Asia at 4.20 PPP dollars.[iv]

“The growing population here in Asia and around the world, climate change impacts and geopolitical conflicts have only exacerbated an already challenging food insecurity landscape,” said Dr. Siang Hee Tan, Executive Director, CropLife Asia. “With agricultural innovations and plant science technologies, it is possible for farmers to produce more nutritious food with fewer resources and less impact to the world around us. That helps our smallholder farmers, national economies and trade, and most crucially, our collective regional food security. More than ever, we need science-based regulatory systems around Asia to provide timely reviews of the latest agricultural innovations and technologies that can help our smallholder farmers at such a consequential time for our region.”

Plant science technologies such as plant biotechnology, gene-editing and crop protection products play a key role in supporting crop productivity, ensuring a stable food supply, managing and protecting natural resources as well as driving national economies. For example, biotech crops have increased global food, feed and fibre production by nearly 1 billion tonnes from 1996 to 2020.[v] During the same period, insect resistant crop technology used in maize has increased yields by an average of 17.7 percent relative to conventional production systems. The livestock industry is heavily dependent on maize as animal feed, making it a critical component of the agricultural economy.

Gene-editing techniques such as CRISPR-Cas can be used in agriculture to build tolerant traits that can respond better to heat, drought and flooding, improve photosynthesis to boost yields and redesign crops to serve as more nutritious and sustainable food sources.

About CropLife Asia

CropLife Asia is a non-profit society and the regional organization of CropLife International, the voice of the global plant science industry. We advocate a safe, secure food supply, and our vision is food security enabled by innovative agriculture. CropLife Asia supports the work of 15 member associations across the continent and is led by six member companies and one associate member company at the forefront of crop protection, seeds and/or biotechnology research and development. For more information, visit us at www.croplifeasia.org

For more information please contact:
Duke Hipp
Director, Public Affairs & Strategic Partnerships 
CropLife Asia
duke.hipp@croplifeasia.org

[i] FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2024. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 – Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1254en

[ii] FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2024. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 – Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1254en

[iii] FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2024. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 – Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1254en

[iv] FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2024. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 – Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1254en

[v] Brookes G. (2022). Farm income and production impacts from the use of genetically modified (GM) crop technology 1996-2020. GM Crops & Food, 13(1), 171-195. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645698.2022.2105626




Topic: Press release summary
Source: CropLife Asia

Sectors: Agritech, Food & Beverage, Daily News, Regional, ASEAN, Government
http://www.acnnewswire.com
From the Asia Corporate News Network


Copyright © 2024 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.



CropLife Asia
July 18, 2024 16:00 HKT/SGT
Malaysian CropLife & Public Health Association Calls for Action Against Illegal Pesticides
June 14, 2024 09:00 HKT/SGT
New CropLife Asia and EU-ASEAN Business Council Report Highlights Pathways for Sustainable Agriculture in Southeast Asia
May 10, 2024 08:50 HKT/SGT
CropLife Asia announces new Office Bearers for 2024
July 13, 2021 17:20 HKT/SGT
CropLife Asia Echoes FAO Call to Transform our Food Systems
May 21, 2021 16:00 HKT/SGT
CropLife Asia Highlights how Plant Science is 'Part of the Solution' on Biodiversity Day
Mar 22, 2021 11:00 HKT/SGT
Water Crisis Highlights Need for New Solutions & Technologies to Drive Conservation in Asian Agriculture
Mar 12, 2021 06:00 HKT/SGT
CropLife Asia's 'Drone for Pesticide Application' Online Forum draws Asian Policymakers and Global Experts
Mar 3, 2021 15:00 HKT/SGT
CropLife Asia 2021 Annual General Meeting convenes virtually with Regional Food Supply Chain & Farmer Resiliency Center Stage
Feb 9, 2021 12:00 HKT/SGT
Lunar New Year Brings Call from CropLife Asia to "Think of and Thank our Farmer Heroes"
Jan 21, 2021 11:00 HKT/SGT
CropLife Asia: Reaction to UN Report on State of Food Security and Nutrition in Asia
More news >>
 News Alerts
Copyright © 2024 ACN Newswire - Asia Corporate News Network
Home | About us | Services | Partners | Events | Login | Contact us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | RSS
US: +1 214 890 4418 | China: +86 181 2376 3721 | Hong Kong: +852 8192 4922 | Singapore: +65 6549 7068 | Tokyo: +81 3 6859 8575

Connect With us: