Climate crisis could contribute to a global food shortage by 2050, US special envoy on food security warns

Cary Fowler says world needs to produce 50-60% more food by middle of the century but global heating is expected to reduce yield rates

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The world could fall short of food by 2050 due to the falling crop yields, insufficient investment in agricultural research and trade shocks, according to Joe Biden’s special envoy for food security, Dr Cary Fowler.

Fowler, who is also known as the “father” of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a global store of seeds for the most significant crops, said studies by agricultural economists show the world needs to produce 50-60% more food by 2050 in order to feed its growing population. But crop yields rates are projected to decline by between 3-12% as a result of global heating.

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