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Manila - World food production must double in 50 years in order to feed the growing population of Asia, the father of the "Green Revolution," told a conference at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday.

 However the potential for expanding arable land in Asia is limited and "future expansion in food production must come largely from land already in use," said Norman Borlaug, winner of the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his role in expanding agricultural production.

 "Africa is the biggest food security challenge although hunger is still extensive in Asia and among indigenous people in Latin America," he told the conference at the ADB headquarters in the Philippine capital.

 This is compounded by the limited water resources and the emergence of new crop diseases, Borlaug said, citing a new form of "stem rust" affecting wheat, reported in East Africa in 1999.

 "It is only a matter of time before it spreads to Asia," he said, calling for a revival of the international research system to deal with such diseases.

 The demand for food, animal feed, and fibers in China is likely to double by the middle of the century as the population becomes larger and wealthy. However arable land is likely to shrink by 20 per cent, he said.

 Agriculture in India must also undergo "a major transformation," with changes in cropping patterns and crop management systems, he said, calling for "precision farming practices... in high potential areas," and efforts towards drought tolerance.

 Borlaug called for a twin-track strategy emphasizing both productivity-led agricultural growth and "safety net programs to assist the chronically hungry."

 He said biotechnology and other "new scientific tools" will help meet the demand for food and fiber in the future, citing the past success in tripling world cereal production while only increasing the total cultivated area for cereals by 10 per cent.

 Food imports and "new agricultural science and technology," will become more important in China, Borlaug said, adding that "far-reaching policy reforms are also needed in agricultural tax policy, land tenure, and farmer education."

Agence France Presse