A forecast by two international agencies says global food prices will rise by 10 to 40 percent over the coming decade and governments need to boost investment to reverse slowing growth in farm output.
The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Thursday prices will be pushed up by surging demand as incomes rise and by slow growth in supplies.
The agencies said investment in farming has declined in recent decades due to a steady fall in prices. They said governments need to respond to the upturn in price growth by stepping up investments in technology to increase output and help farmers get crops to market.