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40 SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2015 A S THE WORLDS population balloons its way to 9.5 billion by 2050 the challenge of feeding these hungry people will require a stew of techniques and methods that will coax more productivity out of limited agricultural resources. Improved seeds and more efficient use of fertilizers will be critical to our future production says Howard Buffett chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. However we need to be smarter about how we use our limited natural resources particularly our soil and water. The land available in the world that is not currently farmed is not farmed for a good reason it is primar- ily protected land urban areas deserts or poor quality soil. Therefore our only long-term option is to improve productivity while conserving resources. Howard Buffett active farmer and son of legend- ary investor Warren Buffett formed the Howard G. Buffett Foundation in 1999. Since then the foundation has worked in nearly 80 countries focusing their work in three geographic regions Latin America Africa and the United States. In Latin America work is concen- trated in El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua and Mexico. In Africa most of the foundations work is done in the Great Lakes Region Ghana Sierra Leone Liberia and agricultural research in South Africa. Buffett told Seed World that to accomplish the goals of improving productivity while conserving resources we must focus on soil health through the adoption of conservation agricultural practices. Most of the worlds millions of farmers are small- holders who are often poor and living harvest to harvest they dont have options they are living to survive and feed their families Buffett says. You will never convince a hungry person to worry about preserving biodiversity. However demonstrating to farmers who do not have credit and who have limited Improving productivity while conserving resources is key to feeding a hungry world. Frank Zaworski Howard Buffett Provides Perspective incomes that there are better farming techniques they can afford is an important option. Conservation agriculture can work for all farmers large and small. We have been practicing conservation farming on our farms in the United States for 30 years and in South Africa for the last decade he says. As a result we see improved soil organic matter better water management less soil erosion and better weed control. Conservation agriculture is a critical component of the solution to balancing biodiversity with growing demands on global food production. The foundations food security work focuses on agricultural resource development for smallholder farmers and supports a range of interven- tions from research on improved inputs and practices to advocacy to promote the best ideas that will have the broadest impact. In the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo DRC the foundation is supporting the testing release multiplication 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 3 Billion 4 Billion 5 Billion 6 Billion 7 Billion 8 Billion 9 Billion Populationbillions Year Source U.S. Census Bureau International Data Base July 2015 Update. World Population 1950-2050