Experts concerned over water consuming crops, climate change

Experts at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) meeting on agriculture here today raised concern over high water consuming crops after the advent of green revolution.
They pitched in favour low water consuming, heat-resistant high-production crops.
On the second day of the session on impending food crisis of the world due to explosion of population, they stressed on finalising a blueprint to enhance agriculture production by at least 50 per cent by 2030 on same area of land.
Giving a presentation, Prof Guy Poulter of Natural Resource Institute of University of Greenwich (UK) outlined a grim scenario and said that it was matter of great concern that over 1.2 billion people on the world live on less than one dollar a day.

He said that with the population growth projected from 6-9 billion by the year 2050 and Asia's population growth from 4.4-5.2 billion, the world would have to produce 50 per cent more food and energy on same area of land by 2030.
Projecting a dismal scenario on availability of fresh water and energy, Poulter said that currently agriculture sector was using 70 per cent of fresh water supply and this projected increase in production with the same type of seeds would require 30 per cent more fresh water triggering a water crisis in the world.

He said, "We should learn a lesson from the pitfalls of green revolution and focus on low water consuming heat resistant and high yielding crops."

Expressing concern over the stagnation of food production after 1990, Poulter asked that agriculture scientists would have to focus on increasing production on par with increasing population.
Giving a call to parliamentarians for coming out with institutional network for the agriculture growth, Poulter stressed upon review of agriculture laws, policies coming in the way of growth of agriculture sector.
The agriculture meet of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association also supported continuance of subsidies on food and agricultural inputs besides employment guarantee programmes to tackle the challenge of increasing rural poverty of the world.
The agricultural economists collectively gave a call to tackle rural poverty by aggressively promoting employment generating schemes besides tackling the problems of small farmers.