Food security threatened by climate change and trade

Crop pests and diseases had moved north and south at an average of two miles a year since 1960, discovered researchers from the universities of Exeter and Oxford. Climate change was allowing them to establish in areas that were formerly too cold for them.           

A spokesman:“The emergence and spread of crop pests — which include fungi, bacteria, viruses and insects — present a significant challenge to food security, with the Irish Potato famine in the 1840s being perhaps the most famous example.”​

“Although the spread of pests is known to be facilitated primarily by human transportation, there is increasing concern that climate change could allow for the expansion of pests into previously unsuitable regions.”​

Pests and diseases​

The researchers studied the records of 612 crop pests and diseases from around the world, collected during the past 53 years.

Particular concern focused on fungi, such as wheat rust, which was destroying crops in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and insects, like the mountain pine beetle, which was devastating US trees.

Other yield-sapping species that were on the move included: bacteria, viruses and microscopic nematode worms.

But more research was needed to assess the scale of the problem, said the researchers.

They also recommended improved border protection measures to stop the spread of pests and diseases.

Biological threats​

Biological threats were said to account for about a 40% loss in global production.

In Africa and Asia alone, production must increase to produce food for a new city of 1M people every five years between now and 2050, according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

About 850M people around the world do not have enough food to provide the calories to sustain well-being, warned a United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation report last year.

Meanwhile, a top UK food scientist warned earlier this year that Europe was over-reliant​ on food imports.

Professsor Ian Crute, AHDB chief scientist, told delegates at the Institute of Food Science & Technology conference that Europe had significantly neglected some areas of agricultural production.

“We’ve allowed ourselves to become dependent on production from South America – particularly Brazil. But, with the growth of global trade, we could end up with a bilateral trade agreement between China and Brazil, which left Europe exposed,”​ he said.

Top five plant pests and diseases​

• Worst historical pest – the desert locust.
• Hardest pest to control – South American rubber blight.
• Most expensive pest to control – western corn root worm.
• Biggest human impact – potato blight.
• Worst stored-product pest – the Khapra beetle.

Source: Dr Matthew Cock, chief scientist for Cabi, UK agri-environment research organisation.