Neal Wallance writes in the Otago Dilay Times about fears that food crises could outweigh climate change in the near future.
In response to the threat, overseas interests have been attempting to buy large amounts of New Zealand land, and the resulting questions over what such purchases might mean for New Zealand itself.
An excerpt: (read in full here)
“In another age, Massey University academic Jacquline Rowarth believes, invading armies would have captured New Zealand’s food resources.
“The pressure to feed a booming population would have prompted such a violent response. Today, with the world’s population predicted to hit eight billion in 2030 and nine billion in 2050, the reaction is more likely to be economic.
“Prof Rowarth, Massey University’s professor of pastoral agriculture, said food security would dwarf climate change as the world’s most pressing issue in the next few decades, and noted New Zealand might have seen the first signs of rich or powerful nations trying to secure future food supplies for their people.”