The Agriculture Ministers from the G7 countries, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, Italy, France and Britain, agreed on Sunday during the G7 ministerial meeting in Niigata, Japan to promote agricultural innovation and investments.  The meeting focused on strategies to ensure food security amid a rising global population and a resulting rising global demand for food.

The ministers of the world’s seven most industrialized countries also acknowledged the crucial role of the agriculture sector to ensure global food security, particular in an era of rapid urbanization as well as  pledging to work together to take measures to reduce the effects of climate change on food production.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned that left unchecked aging farmers could threaten the ability to produce the food the world needs.  The average age of growers in developed countries is now about 60, according to the United Nations. It was agreed to hold a separate meeting dedicated to the aging of the agricultural workforce later this year in which developing nations will also be invited to participate. Agricultural production must be increased by 60 percent by 2050 in order to feed a global population that will reach approximately 9.2 billion, according to the forecast of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

The ministers also agreed to:

  • Increase opportunities for women and young people in the agriculture sector to stimulate development;
  • Expand farmers’ participation in food value chains and encourage them to participate in food processing, distribution, and service sectors to boost income;
  • Create an international framework for the exchange of information on animal diseases, aimed at preventing the spread of outbreaks of viral diseases, such as avian influenza and foot-and-mouth disease;
  • Reduce food loss and waste;
  • Support international research regarding climate change.