The Sri Lanka and Maldives Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Ms. Beth Crawford spoke about how the world must prepare for potential food crises that might arise in 2050. In addition, since the effects on the environment cannot be ignored even though countries manage to increase food production, she urged youth to seek sustainable development.

Ms. Crawford said that as the world’s population grows, the demand for water grows, but water is increasingly becoming a scarce resource. She stressed that policies need to address all these concerns.

The FAO Focal Point for Youth Ms. Isabel Sloman spoke about how the increasing population of the world puts a bigger strain on the world’s food and how climate change is worsening the situation. She was of the opinion that if everyone together tackles the problem of food and everyone undertakes the responsibility to do their part, then the problem of food scarcity will be alleviated.

Mr. Chathura Rodrigo from the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) in Sri Lanka said that Sri Lanka is a bountiful nation and produce a large quantity of rice, some of which have been donated to the World Food Program (WFP). Mr. Rodrigo felt that countries need to be more mindful of what they produce, how they produce it and what ingredients are used. He also pointed out that agriculture should be promoted among youth.