Food

It is expected that by the time we reach the year 2050, the world population will increase about 35% based on current numbers. The huge concern when it comes to food supply is that to feed a population of 9 billion people, crop production will need to double. One of the main reasons for that is associated to the economic prosperity the developing world has been experiencing, which led them to eat more, especially more meat. According to the National Geographic magazine, the increase in the per capita daily protein demand will be revolving 15.3% in the developed countries, while in the emerging ones it is supposed to be around 103.6%.

Agriculture poses several challenges to the environment: it is among the greatest greenhouse gases emitters (due to the release of methane gas by cattle and forest clearing to grow crops/livestock, to name a few reasons); it is – by far – the industry that requires more water supply to operate; it is associated to the acceleration of biodiversity loss; and the constant use of fertilizers and pesticides may cause irreparable damages to nearby groundwater, rivers and community.

The pressuring demand for meat will require not only more livestock availability (including more land for it), but also an increase in crops (mostly corn and soybeans) to feed the cattle, pigs and chickens the planet will be requiring. Here lies one of the main reasons why we will need to double the amount of crop by 2050. This also fuels another debate about organic versus conventional agriculture. The former argues that small (organic) farmers are capable to increase yields in ways that would help meet the world demand, while the latter advocates that only modern agriculture techniques such as mechanization, irrigation, chemicals and improved genetics will be the answer to fill the demand blanks.

I don’t intend to point fingers to the right or wrong here. My intention is to raise the awareness for the fact that achieving sustainable agriculture may become increasingly harder and also to ask my fellows a few important questions: do we really need that much food (especially meat) on our plates everyday? Do we need food portions as big as the ones offered by restaurants nowadays? Should the increase in income lead people to eat more or eat better? Does better mean more? I personally think it is absurd that an increase in 35% of population will require 100% more food. Another absurd is to accept the huge food portions we are getting lately as a normal thing. I would go for a campaign of charging me half the price for a half the size meal.

Let’s think about that for a while and try not to be part of those who will demand 100% more food. Maybe by doing so, in 2050 we will prove wrong the statistics we foresee now.

Source: National Geographic Magazine, May edition 2014.