Why Agriculture Needs Technology to Feed the WorldJeff SimonsPresident of Elanco

Today, there are nearly 1 billion hungry people around the globe

Increasing Population 9 Billion by 2050 Rise in affluence

W1

W2

W3Population estimates used for this graphic:W1 = 0.9B, W2 = 3.8B and W3 = 1.8B

U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

100 percent increasein world food production by 2050

HOW?

Farm more Land?

20% Increase

crops

Increased cropping intensity? (harvestingmore crops per year from every acre) 10% Increase

The improvements and discovery of new technologies

Consumers today High-quality, affordable food

Taste43.48%

Consumers today We want to make our own choices

Key Takeaways

From 1950—2000, technology helped increase corn yield/acre by 292%.

Year 1950 Year 20000

40

80

120

160

Bush/acre

Bush/acre

From 1948—1994, technology helped increase production of eggs & poultry by 411%

Year 1948 Year 19940

1

2

3

4

5

Poultry production

Poultry produc-tion

Technology helps today’s farmers produce 58% more milk from 64% fewer cows than in 1944

-Keeps food affordable while ensuringmaximum consumer choice (Food Diversity)

-Organic food

-Golden Rice

Total Greenhouse Gas Emissionsper Lb. of Beef (excludes NOx)

048

12Lbs of CO2 equivalent

Lbs of CO2 equivalent

- 38% decrease

Compared to 1944, for every gallon of milk today, cows generate:

-76% less manure

-63% smaller carbon footprint

-90% less land

-65% less water

Spotlight:

Vertical Farming

Personal Rating Easy to read White paper Well balanced Could have provided more statistics and

examples

Discussion Time! Agricultural innovation: invention and

adoption (macro innovations) or change and adaptation (micro innovations)?

Grain for Food or Grain for Fuel?