New Delhi: On the second day of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) 2012, the French Development Agency (AFD), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI ) released a book titled Development, Environment and Food: Towards Agricultural Change?

The book is a part of series A Planet for Life, an annual publication on sustainable development prepared under the scientific leadership of leading figures in the field.

"One major problem that the agriculture cycle has to deal with is climate change. Looking into the agricultural scenario, if climate change crosses certain thresholds, it would result in decreasing our current rates of food supply," said Dr R.K. Pachauri, Director-General, TERI.

Laurence Tubiana, Director of IDDRI said that the book addresses the central issue of development today – agriculture and food security. Very soon the world will have to feed nine billion people, but if we continue with the same lifestyles and policies, it would be impossible for the world to nourish them. The book calls for a technological and an economic revolution to produce more food in a sustainable way.

To help us take on the challenges posed by development, food security and environment, the book makes us aware how crucial it is to change our vision about agriculture to achieve food security in a sustainable manner.

This book provides a wealth of analysis from over 50 experts to discuss the links between sustainable development and agriculture, said Prof. Pierre Jacquet, Chief Economist, AFD.

Highlighting the impact such books can have in improving livelihood of the farmers, environment activist and the editor of Sanctuary Asia, Bittu Sahgal pointed that farmers in India are not even aware what change in weather pattern means. A large number of farmers have and still are committing suicide. The man who dies is the farmer; the man who kills is the policy maker. If this book can change the policy makers, the book has done its job, said Sahgal.

Divided into 15 chapters, the book explores into the diversity of food and agricultural issues. It analyses the whole food chain - from agricultural R&D, to farmers and farming systems, down to agro industries and consumers.