Several weeks ago I did a blog entry looking at the prospect of a food crisis. Experts warn that a shortage of food means higher prices which will rise to 50% of household budgets. With the world population pushing 9 billion, it's important to ask how we are going to feed so many people.

It's a question raised in Science magazine and, as reported in the New Republic, a scientific paper argues that it will require some radical changes.

It means we will need to boost crop yields (which means more genetic modification programs), changes to the food chain infrastructure so that we stop throwing out uneaten food, eating less meat because meat production means we have to destroy forests for arable land, and more green technology.

You can read the paper in more detail here.

I don't disagree with the scientists but I'll say this. It has to start with the agriculture industry. Scientists and governments need to develop systems that will see less soil degradation, fewer water shortages and no loss of biodiversity. Until that's attended to, nothing will help.