Introduction

Abstract

Global food security is a major societal concern in the light of an increasing population, which is projected to grow from around 7 billion today to almost 10 billion by 2050. There are two fundamental approaches to achieve the much needed food production growth to feed such a growing global population: by expanding land cultivation and/or by increasing crop yields and total factor productivity. While agricultural productivity has been rising at a sustained pace during the last decades in key global wheat producing regions (North America, Europe and several developing countries), the rate has slowed in recent years. The region with a significant potential to expand agricultural productivity, is the ‘Eurasian wheat belt’, comprising Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kirgizstan). This region represents a hotspot of untapped production potential, with significant implications for global food markets. The objective of this book is to provide an in-depth analysis of wheat production developments in the Eurasian region and to assess its potential contribution to domestic and international food security. This introductory chapter introduces key figures about the wheat sector of the Eurasian region as well as it outlines the structure of the book.