China is a pivotal nation for global food security, whose experience serves as a praiseworthy and globally replicable exemplar, said Kenneth M. Quinn, president emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation, during his recent visit to the 2025 World AgriFood Innovation Conference in Beijing.
Held from Oct. 12 to 14, under the theme of "Resilient Food Supply for AgriFood Systems Transformation," the conference underscored the pressing need for transformative innovation in the agricultural sector.
Despite his mobility challenges, Quinn has made the trip to Beijing for the conference annually for the past three years.
He said that by 2049, the global population is projected to reach 10 billion. The greatest challenge facing humanity, he said, is whether the world can sustainably produce enough food to feed this vast population. This, he added, is why the 2025 World AgriFood Innovation Conference is so crucial, and why he, at 83 years old, continues to work and travel to China.
As a key contributor to global food security, China feeds nearly one-fifth of the world's population with less than 9 percent of the world's arable land.
Quinn has witnessed firsthand China's transformative development, achieving a historic leap from having enough to eat to eating well, since his first visit in 1979.
When he came to China in 1979, Quinn said, the country had 70 percent of its population living in poverty. He calls China's poverty alleviation "the most stunning transformation" and "the most amazing achievement."
During China's 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the country's grain production reached a record level. Annual grain output has remained stable at over 650 million metric tons for nine consecutive years. In 2024, it surpassed 700 million metric tons for the first time, ensuring complete and robust national food security.
"That's an amazing achievement to have a consistent level of production over an extended period of time," said Quinn.
While addressing its own food security, China is also actively contributing to global food security.
"China is the largest (and) most significant country in terms of global food security, and it has an amazing array of intellectual centers and research centers (with) progress being made," Quinn said.
Thursday marks the 45th World Food Day. According to a United Nations report, hundreds of millions of people worldwide still face the threat of hunger, and the global food security situation remains severe.
China's experience offers replicable model for global food security: world expert
