The face of the Earth would be undistinguishable in the year 2050 as the population boom of no less than 10 billion will leave people battling for scarce resources all over the world, researchers at a US science conference have warned.

"By 2050 we will not have a planet left that is recognizable" if current trends continue," said Jason Clay of the World Wildlife Fund at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

Earth's resources will be depleted as the increasing population will need to increase food production in the next 40 years.

John Casterline, director of the Initiative in Population Research at Ohio State University, said the population growth especially from poor countries will worsen the impact on global food supplies because of the lesser resources available.

Although incomes will also rise, this also exacerbates the pressure on food supplies especially in the countries of Africa and South Asia.

A related report from the Agence France Presse has estimated that the consumption of around seven pounds (3.4 kilograms) of grain to produce a pound of meat, and around three to four pounds of grain to produce a pound of cheese or eggs.

"More people, more money, more consumption, but the same planet," Clay said as quoted in an AFP report, urging scientists and governments to start making changes now to how food is produced.

Population expert Casterline, meanwhile, pointed out that more funding for family planning programs to help control the human population especially in developing countries is very much needed.

"For 20 years, there's been very little investment in family planning, but there's a return of interest now, partly because of the environmental factors like global warming and food prices," said John Bongaarts of the non-profit Population Council.

"We want to minimize population growth, and the only viable way to do that is through more effective family planning," said Casterline.

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