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Global population moving to urban centers

The middle class is growing globally and continuing a move to cities.

Chris Nolan with PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance tells Brownfield while the population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the demand for food is expected to double.  “While the statistics suggest that population globally will increase by 18 percent, the food demand placed on the planet by that increase in middle class will actually increase almost 35 percent.”

He says at the same time populations will continue to move into more urbanized areas.  “About one billion people over the next 15 years will move from a rural environment to a city on a global basis, and then by 2050 70 percent of the world’s population will actually live in cities.”

Nolan says those megatrends have the potential to change how food is grown, processed and distributed with technology driving the ability to meet demand.

Nolan spoke with Brownfield in Detroit this week at the Export Exchange.

AUDIO: Interview with Chris Nolan