1 Global trends in agriculture and food systems

Summary Increasing globalisation affects agricultural production and trade and has consequences for the sustainability of both conventional and organic agriculture. During the last decades, agricultural production and yields have been increasing along with global fertiliser and pesticide consumption. This development has been especially pronounced in the industrialised countries and some developing countries such as China, where cereal yields have increased a remarkable 2-fold and 4.5-fold respectively since 1961. In those countries, food security has increased, a greater variety of food has been offered and diets have changed towards a greater share of meat and dairy products. However, this development has lead to a growing disparity among agricultural systems and population, where especially developing countries in Africa have seen very few improvements in food security and production. The vast majority of rural households in developing countries lack the ecological resources or financial means to shift into intensive modern agricultural practices as well as being integrated into the global markets. At the same time, agricultural development