At IPI we often discuss the issue of "Food Security". These days, to the dismay and concern of many, during the latter part of 2010 and into 2011, we are seeing the commodity-price index rising rapidly once again, to beyond the peak levels of 2007/2008. Is the phenomenon of high food prices likely to become a more frequent occurrence?
Some claim that the sufficient amount of food produced globally is not adequately distributed; others show that the increase in cereal productivity is declining and is insufficient to meet the demands of an increasing population; others blame biofuels and commodity speculators in the hiking of prices. Most of these arguments will be used in the future and it is likely that there is more than one contributory factor. So what should be done? No silver bullets are available, at least not yet. From our point of view, IPI is convinced that improved management of existing crops will provide greater yields. For example, you can read in this edition of e-ifc, a paper on the wide-scale application of nutrient management to soybean in India (Dixit et al.) and the impact it can have at a regional level. Clearly, what can be achieved with "best management practices", instead of the practices used by uninformed farmers, has the potential to significantly increase productivity and food availability for the world. Improving food security means, from our perspective, appropriate application of fertilizers to achieve the yield potential.
A report from Brazil on "Experiments on fertilization of no-till systems in the Brazilian Cerrado; Potash fertilization of cover crops and its potential for the following soybean crop", is featured in this issue along with a report from Pakistan on "Impact of Alluvial Deposits on Soil Fertility during the Floods of 2010 in Punjab, Pakistan". Updates of events and new scientific publications are provided.
We also have some exciting news about our IPI website (see the home page and the regional pages), where we have now posted all IPI projects on maps to allow readers to easily see where our projects are located and IPI is most active. Please contact the IPI regional coordinators if you wish to have more details on any specific project. I wish you all an enjoyable read.
