Effective Food Management Strategies In Response To The World Food Crisis

During the twentieth century, there was substantial growth in the human population, a phenomenon largely explained by the increase in food production. The manufacture of nitrogen fertilizers, with nitrogen being the mineral nutrient plants need the most, and the cultivation of large areas of previously unused land were the two main contributing factors to the expanded food supply and population. In the twenty-first century, similarly, there is a projected 2.3 billion increase in human population and greater per capita incomes by 2050. Analysis based on United Nations population forecasts suggests that there is likely a 50-80% increase in food demand between 2010 to 2050 with likely 9.2 billion people by the time.

The circumstances and challenges facing agricultural production in meeting this projected increase in food demand, however, are largely different from the last century. While past solutions to growing food demand were primarily met by increasing the amount of land used for agricultural production and securing new sources of fish supply, this solution is no longer appropriate. In recent decades, unsustainable methods of land management has resulted in the lost of formerly fertile agricultural land through processes such as desertification, salinization, soil erosion and degradation, and urbanization. The area of soil fit for cultivation has decreased from 0.32 to 0.25 ha per capita from 1975 to 2000. Climate change, loss of land to other human activities, and the lack of possible new fishing grounds are other factors that affect and limit production and the possibility of obtaining more land for agricultural use. In fact, about one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions are the product of land clearing, and crop and fertilizer production (Tilman et al. 2011). Tilman and colleagues’ study (2011) utilizing quantitative assessment methods of the current situation claims that if current trends of agricultural intensification in richer nations and increased land clearing in poorer nations were to continue, there will be three times more global greenhouse gas emissions and two times more use of fertilizer by 2050 compared to more moderate intensification of agricultural production and use of more efficient technology by under yielding nations. Thus, it is ineffective and unsustainable to continue current trends, and increased land clearing for agriculture is an inappropriate strategy to meet growing food demand, considering how existing activity already contributes to climate change which has increasingly evident impacts on the environment in recent years. Instead, the concept of sustainable intensification in agricultural production and an increased emphasis on the importance of soil to agriculture, biodiversity, and ecosystem health through the development of a comprehensive policy framework together exemplify more effective strategies to meet the growing food demand while preserving biodiversity and ecosystem health by 2050.

Although science shows the crucial role soil plays in upholding the environmental, social, and economic wellbeing of the entire planet, there lacks an emphasis on soil in international policy discussions initiatives, suggesting the necessity to establish a policy framework that can serve as a platform for the development of policy initiatives centered around soil security. In a landscape, soil offers five primary functions: nutrient cycling, water retention, preservation of biodiversity and habitat, storing, filtering, and buffering compounds, and the provision of physical stability and support. In other words, soil health, defined as “the capacity of soil to function as a vital living system, within ecosystem and land-use boundaries, to sustain plant and animal productivity, maintain or enhance water and air quality, and promote plant and animal health,” is significant in the maintenance of successful agricultural ecosystems. In terms of playing a role in mitigating climate change, soil itself and the plants it sustains function as carbon sinks. Based on soil functions, Koch and colleagues (2013) propose a conceptual framework that relates particular core soil functions to relevant global food and environmental concerns, specifically: food security, water security, climate change abatement, ecosystem service delivery, biodiversity protection, and energy sustainability. The conceptual framework effectively breaks down the significant role soil plays in maintaining the health of ecosystems and human societal systems and is a good basis for the development of a policy framework.

Based on the need to protect soil health, biodiversity, and the largely non-viable option of clearing more land for agriculture use, the concept of sustained intensification in agriculture is one of the most effective strategies suggested by research and experts to meet the growing food demand. Sustainable intensification is the idea of “producing more food from the same area of land while reducing the environmental impacts” (Godfray et al. 2010). Ideally, an effective system increases both agricultural yield and profit for farmers while potentially benefitting the environment. A general framework of redesigning the composition and structure of agricultural systems by introducing better technology and practices to improve the efficiency of resource use and reduce waste and negative externalities applies. Redesign ideally involves the cooperation of regional and local institutions, various scientific experts, and farming communities to facilitate knowledge sharing, innovation, and the adoption of specific technology tailored to local needs that can allow adaption to changing situations in agriculture, such as the emergence of new pests and diseases, natural disasters, and climate change effects (Pretty et al. 2018). Depending on the local and regional situation, different means may be utilized to work towards sustainable intensification. Across Europe and North America, for instance, there has been history of intensification in agriculture and adoption of techniques such as genetic modification of crops and livestock and precision farming approaches. More efficient use of resources inputs, especially nitrogen for crops, and nutrient management plans are being prioritized as a response to concerns about pollution and sustainability. Meanwhile, across China and some other regions in Southeast Asia, recent increases in agricultural production and use of resources such as nitrogen fertilizers has led to severe problems of loss in soil quality. Thus, new methods of soil management such as an integrated crop-soil management system has been developing. In Africa, where crops have shown little or no increase in recent decades, certain new innovation platforms have increased yield in maze and cassava systems.

Within the overarching idea of sustainable intensification, closing yield gaps in existing agricultural systems is specifically the most emphasized method to meet growing food demand in Keating and colleagues’ study (2014) that surveyed 86 agricultural experts. Yield gap is defined as “the difference between realized productivity and the best that can be achieved using current genetic material and available technologies and management” (Godfray et al. 2010). While yield gaps can be as low as ten to twenty percent in developed countries, it can be up to sixty to eighty percent in developing countries. Farmers in developing countries may lack the technology, knowledge, and finances needed to produce food more efficiently specifically in their region. Climate variability and economically suboptimal profits at maximum crop yield may also make closing the yield gap difficult (Keating et al. 2014, p. 5). Hence, although technically speaking closing the yield gap while not increasing the damage to the environment is a good example of sustainable intensification and is an effective way to meet the impending food crisis, exactly how this is to be achieved is a complex matter that varies according to the situation of each region.

Besides sustainable intensification, some other strategies may also be helpful in meeting the growing global food demand while protecting biodiversity and human health. Unnecessary food waste during production and overconsumption can be avoided. Around thirty to forty percent of food globally is wasted. In developing countries, most of the food waste occurs during production and processing due to the lack of food-chain infrastructure and appropriate storage systems, ineffective harvesting practices, and pests and diseases. On the other hand, most waste in developed countries is by the hands of consumers, restaurants and sell-by dates in supermarkets, and the waste has risen in recent years (Godfray et al. 2010). “Use-by” dates, safety margins, and expired food dumping methods in stores should be modified such that food that is slightly imperfect but completely fit for consumption is kept and the rest is increasingly used for animal feed or compost instead of dumped into landfills (Godfray et al. 2010). Meanwhile, overconsumption by individual consumers is unhealthy and can lead to obesity, a phenomenon that can be difficult to change due to cultural and individual attitudes towards food. With discipline however, reducing overconsumption is largely achievable, and is beneficial to human health. Similarly, encouraging modifications in diet, especially in wealthier countries, such that the consumption of red meat and livestock is reduced would be beneficial for human health while reducing methane emissions at the same time. Reducing the consumption of livestock also decreases needed resource input, since it takes around 2.5 to 100 times more resources to produce energy and protein from livestock compared to crops like grain.

With a projected growth in human population and rising food demand by 2050 that current trends of agricultural production cannot meet, there is an increased need to develop effective strategies to combat the impending food crisis. While the method in the past century has been to mainly increase the amount of land used for agriculture, modern day pressures of soil degradation, climate change, and dwindling ecosystem health and biodiversity as a result of human activity make this solution no longer as viable. Instead, effective strategies include sustainable intensification, which involves producing more food from the same area of land while reducing the environmental impacts, with specific systems varying according to regional and local circumstances. Scientific experts, farmers, and institutions are encouraged to work together to share knowledge, technology, and innovate to best achieve sustainable intensification (Pretty et al. 2018). Closing the yield gap is another recommended method that can align with sustainable intensification, and greater emphasis on soil health and water security through the development of a policy framework is also crucial to meet the food production goal. After all, soil is important for agriculture and ecosystem health, carrying out nutrient cycling, water retention, preservation of biodiversity and habitat, storing, filtering, and buffering compounds, and providing physical stability and support. Meanwhile, as individual consumers, everyone can make an effort to avoid overconsumption, reduce food waste, and perhaps decrease the amount of meat consumed, because meat requires many times more resources to produce than other types of food.

Reference List

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• Rees, R.M., Griffiths, B.S., McVittie, A., 2018, ‘Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture: Impacts on Sustainable Soil Management’, In: H. Ginzky, E. Dooley, I.L. Heuser, E. Kasimbazi, T. Markus, T. Qin (Eds.), International Yearbook of Soil Law and Policy 2017, Springer International Publishing, Cham, pp. 7-16.
• Tilman, D, Balzer, C, Hill, J, & Befort, B 2011, ‘Global food demand and the sustainable intensification of agriculture’, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 108, no. 50, pp. 20260-20264.