Population and food security: Key trends and changing dynamics

One of the turning points in the development world occurred during the 1994 International Conference on Development and Population (ICPD) in Egypt which marked the fundamental shift away from the numerical aspects of considering population and development dynamics to a human-rights approach. A consensus in its Programme of Action provided that: ‘The relationship of population to development is so intertwined with issues of poverty, patterns of production and consumption, and inequality, that none can be fruitfully addressed in isolation’. Twenty years on, a lot has been achieved, emphasising, however, a lot more needs to be done. Developing countries’ population bases are projected to rise from 5.9 billion in 2013 to 8.2 billion in 2050 and 9.6 billion in 2100. Growth is expected to be particularly dramatic in the least developed countries of the world: from 898 million in 2013 to 1.8 billion by 2050 and 2.9 billion in 2100. Youth and children populations now in least developed countries are at an all-time high: 1.7 billion children and 1.1 billion young people. Globally, the population aged 60 or over is the fastest growing cohort. In developed regions it is increasing at 1.0% annually (before 2050) while the 60 or over-60 cohorts in less developed regions are increasing at the fastest pace ever. Respecting fundamental human rights in framing policy interventions that understand the role of sexual and reproductive health and rights in policy and programming will be critical to responding to shifts in population dynamics. People must be in the centre of our collective response to the changing dynamics and key trends presently experienced globally, in particular countries with urgent food security issues.