Asia faces urgent need to address food insecurity, feed growing population
New research from The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reveals importance of innovation to bolster Asia’s food system
(Singapore) 23 November 2018 – New research commissioned by Cargill and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reveals an urgent need for Asia’s food systems to innovate as its population continues to expand, its cities get more crowded and natural resources deplete. The study explores how Asia’s food producers are innovating to meet the region’s growing demands in the face of greater urbanization and climate change threats. Through surveys of 820 regional business leaders, along with desk research and expert interviews, EIU found:
- 75 percent of respondents say their company spends more than 15 percent of their research and development (R&D) budget on food and agriculture-specific innovations.
- 51 percent say developing environmentally safer packaging is a top R&D priority.
- Innovation development costs, an inadequate research base and insufficient patent protection top the list of innovation challenges food producers face.
“Helping Asia face these impending food system challenges will require ingenuity, commitment and strong collaborations across countries and industry stakeholders. Farmers must also play a critical role in developing the necessary innovations, from the discovery phase through delivery. Their input will ensure new solutions are effective and able to be adopted by the food producers who need them,” said Rashmi Dalai, EIU managing editor for the program.
“Achieving food security has many challenges. The EIU research helps to clarify what we are facing so we can address the challenges and prevent this situation from reaching a critical level. At Cargill, we see the benefits of technology and innovation to provide the creative solutions necessary to nourish the world and end food insecurity for people across Asia,” said Peter van Deursen, CEO of Cargill in Asia Pacific.
About the research
These findings are part of a five-part research program, Fixing Asia’s food systems commissioned by Cargill and conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Food 4.0 is the second of this five-part study and explores how Asia’s food producers are innovating to meet the region’s growing demands in the face of greater urbanization and climate change threats.
In November 2017 and March 2018, the EIU conducted two surveys on Asia’s food systems. The total 820 respondents were business leaders in Asia’s food industry, located in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
To read the full study, visit: https://eiuperspectives.economist.com/sustainability/fixing-asias-food-system/white-paper/food-40
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About Cargill
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