New crops needed to avoid famines

The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) says yields of existing varieties will fall.

New forecasts say warming will shrink South Asia's wheat area by half.

CGIAR is announcing plans to accelerate efforts aimed at developing new strains of staple crops including maize, wheat, rice and sorghum.

At the network's annual meeting in Washington, scientists will also report on measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from farmland.

from the BBC