The intricate links in the food chain - from the supply of agricultural raw materials to the production of food and its distribution - are of primary concern to the International Agri-Food Network and all associated businesses inv olved in feeding the world. These include companies providing essential inputs, individual and family farms, co-operative organizations, companies involved in food processing and transport, small and medium sized enterprises through to multi-national corp orations.

To feed a global population projected to be 50% higher in 30 years time will require technological innovation and sounder management of scarce resources such as land and water. This can be achieved by allowing market forces to encourage investment, innova tion and good management; and enabling price mechanisms to signal where business activity and international trade can raise productivity most efficiently.

Productivity
Expanding global food production through productivity advances in the agricultural sector is, however, only part of the solution for large parts of the developing world where hunger is a consequence of poverty. Here the bigger challenge is to raise produc tivity across all sectors of the economy - to create jobs and raise living standards so that people can afford to buy more food with higher nutritional levels. The challenge of eradicating poverty and hunger is not only a question of technology, but is li nked to the distribution of resources and income, access to markets and trade, and suitable conditions for social, political and economic development.

Investment
The agri-food sector has followed the general trend in which public investment has diminished while private investment has increased. In order for the private sector to meet this larger and growing responsibility, it is necessary for governments to create legal and institutional frameworks conducive to private sector activities. Security of land tenure, protection of intellectual property rights, availability of credit for rural development, a favourable investment and regulatory climate, and expeditious customs procedures are just some of the conditions required.

Government actions can have a positive impact on the capacity of the private sector to contribute to food security and sustainable agriculture. All governments must make a clear commitment to open, well-functioning markets, an enabling framework for the dissemination of safe technology in agriculture and food production, and science-based food quality standards.

The challenges facing the international community include:

• Hunger and malnutrition persist despite the increases in food production achieved in the last decades.
• The world population is growing by 90 million people per year while the total area for cultivation is limited. Indeed, considering the effects of such factors as urbanisation, desertification and soil erosion, available arable land is declining and w ater is becoming scarcer.
• Rising incomes in many parts of the world are changing patterns of food consumption.

The agri-food industry sectors have a major responsibility in facing up to these challenges by:

• assuming a continuing role in agricultural research and development.
• adopting a growing role in training, capacity-building and technology transfer.
• striving to meet world food needs in a sustainable manner by investing to improve plant varieties, seeds, biotechnology, plant nutrition, crop protection and animal health in an integrated approach to farm management.
• helping to constantly improve the quality and variety of food and agricultural products.
• aiming for closer cooperation and co-ordination among the various sectors of the agri-food chain.