Growing population

The world population is growing. According to the UN, around 9.7 billion people will live on Earth by 2050 – two-thirds of them in cities. To feed this population, agriculture must produce about 50% more food than in 2012, according to FAO. Products must remain affordable and reach consumers in good quality. 2.3 billion people suffer from moderate or severe food insecurity. Up to 720 million people go to bed hungry every day. FAO therefore calls on all countries to ensure sufficient supplies of affordable and healthy food.

Threat from climate and pests

Besides population growth, climate change is the second major challenge. Extreme weather events are increasing. Heatwaves, droughts, and floods will become more frequent. Agriculture is both a victim and responsible for 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change also increases pest pressure. For example, locust swarms in 2020 caused food shortages for 25 million people in East Africa alone, according to UNICEF.

Threat to food safety

Contaminated food poses a serious risk. Recently, baby food had to be recalled due to cereulide toxin produced by Bacillus cereus bacteria, which can cause meningitis in newborns. Plant diseases are also a threat. The WHO warns about mycotoxins produced by molds. Fungicides help reliably control such risks.

Scarce water supplies

Agriculture already uses 72% of extracted freshwater. The UN expects five billion people to live in water-scarce countries within 30 years. Improving water efficiency and heat tolerance of crops is essential. The industry invests billions in plant breeding and crop protection.

Limited areas

Over 40% of soils are already degraded. Agricultural land cannot be expanded further without releasing massive amounts of CO₂ from forests and wetlands. Urs Niggli notes that even with rising yields, an additional 200 million hectares of cropland and 400 million hectares of grassland would be needed by 2050 – about one and a half times the size of the EU.

Increase in productivity

Without productivity gains, 370 million more hectares would be farmed today – equal to 60% of the Amazon rainforest. Since the 1960s, food production has increased by 80% on nearly constant land area, feeding eight billion people. This is due to agricultural science and innovation.

Global responsibility

Switzerland must not withdraw from agricultural production. A strategy relying mainly on organic farming and imports raises ecological and ethical concerns. Switzerland must maintain high self-sufficiency, requiring about a 30% productivity increase.

Resource-efficient agriculture

Further productivity gains are possible using all available technologies. Switzerland has strong research capabilities. Digitalization and gene editing (CRISPR/Cas) offer major opportunities. A global meta-study shows GM crops increase yields by about 22% and reduce pesticide use by 37%. Sustainable agriculture aims to increase output with fewer inputs and minimal environmental impact.