I’ve written about this before. But I found new information I thought you might find interesting.
At Least Right Now
Absolutely we can feed the world, at least right now. Farms are producing enough to supply the roughly 2,800 calories per day people need. So why are 1 billion people chronically hungry? That’s because the food isn’t in the right places. And for many, it simply costs too much.
As Population Grows, It’s Another Story
That’s today. But what about the future? When world populations grow by two to three billion by 2050, the planet will be in trouble. Some of those new people will have higher incomes, so will eat more, especially meat.
So what’s to be done?
Jonathan Foley, writing in Scientific American in 2011 and 2015, said it seems simple to think we should just expand farmland and grow more food. But that isn’t practical. “Society already uses about 37 percent of the earth’s land surface, not counting Greenland or Antarctica, for farms or pastures,” Foley wrote.
By 2010 agriculture had transformed 70 percent of the world’s prehistoric grasslands, 50 percent of the savannas, 45 percent of the temperate deciduous forest and 25 percent of the tropical forests. Agriculture’s footprint is nearly 60 times that of the world’s pavements and buildings, Foley wrote.
Crop Yields Aren’t Increasing Sufficiently
And research shows that the average crop yield increased by just 20 percent from 1985 to 2005, rates that are nowhere strong enough to support the population growth, according to Foley.
Head Scratching Time
Clearly, researchers are scratching their heads. But they have come up with great solutions, some easier to implement than others. These include:
–Limiting population growth.
This is tricky. There is always China’s one-child rule, which has resulted in some girl babies being discarded, for example. But most people can agree with some form of population control. In Third World countries, this requires providing help to women and education for all. Blogger Nathanael Johnson wrote in 2015 in Grist that research shows that improving the lives of children and mothers reduces overpopulation.
–Eating less meat.
We could increase global food availability and help the environment by using more of our crops to feed people directly and less to fatten livestock. About 35 percent of the grain we grow goes to feed livestock, beef being the biggest consumer. Grain-fed cattle typically use at least 100 kilograms of grain to make one kilogram of edible, boneless beef protein. Chicken and pork are more efficient, while grass-fed beef converts nonfood material into protein, according to Scientific American. Or, as Johnson wrote, “eat with smaller forks.” He continued, “That means changing our diet so that we eat less meat, less food in general and throw less of it away. There’s a side benefit: We’ll be healthier.”
–Use resources more efficiently.
For example, it takes about one liter of irrigation water to grow one calorie of food. Some places require more. Humans use an astounding 4,000 cubic kilometers of water per year, most of that coming from rivers and aquifers. Irrigation accounts for 70 percent of that. And fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides are contaminating our water systems.
–Reduce food waste.
Roughly 30 percent of the food produced on the planet is discarded, lost, spoiled or consumed by pests. In rich countries, according to Scientific American, this occurs at the consumer end—in restaurants and trashcans. Simple changes in our daily consumption by reducing oversized portions, for example, could minimize losses. In poorer countries, the losses are similar in size but occur at the producer end in the form of failed crops, pests and spoilage. This can also include food that never is delivered due to poor infrastructure.
Influence of Middlemen
Johnson’s blog post noted that about 100 multinational middlemen buy crops from farmers in one place and sell them to food makers in another. Getting them to act responsibly would help, Johnson said. And that already is working with soy in the Amazon and palm oil in Asia. If these companies begin acting in a sustainable way, Johnson said, they ask governments to regulate their competitors to level the playing field. “This really does have the potential to change the world,” Johnson wrote.
Super Lentils and Beans
Johnson’s final tip: “Learn a killer lentils recipe—not just something edible, but something that excites your friends and family as much as steak does.” He noted legumes, like lentils and beans, fertilize the soil and provide a good replacement for meat. “If everyone replaced one meat dish a week, deliciously, we’d all take a big step toward and equitable and sustainable food system.”
Recipe to Try
Here’s a recipe my family enjoys. Try it!
3/4 cup quick-cooking barley
3 T olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 medium head romaine lettuce torn into bite-size pieces
1 15-oz can of lentils, rinsed
1 large carrot cut into matchsticks (or use 1/2 cup already prepared matchsticks)
1/4 small red onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives
1/2 chopped cucumber
Goat cheese crumbles to taste
1/2 t each salt and pepper
Cook the barley according to the package directions. Drain and run under cold water too cool.
Meanwhile in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice and 1/2 t salt and pepper.
In a medium bowl toss the lettuce with half the lemon dressing. In a second medium bowl, toss the barley, lentils, carrot, onion and olives with the remaining dressing. Serve the barley mixture over the lettuce and sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles.