Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between agricultural food production and feeding the worlds population?

First, before food production even begins, natural habitats and ecosystems are destroyed to clear land that will be used for agriculture. Habitat loss is one of the leading causes of population declines among wildlife species, eventually leading to extinction in many cases. When trees are cut down to make space for farmland, local species who survive must relocate to find new homes. This type of deforestation is known as ‘land-use change’, and is a huge contributor to climate change, as forests are major carbon sinks that remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Once the land has been cleared, it must be primed to grow large amounts of food. This is done using heavy applications of artificial herbicides and fertilizers. The herbicides are intended to prevent the growth of unwanted plants that would ‘steal’ nutrients from the crop, and the fertilizers increase the nutrients available in the soil so that the crop’s yield is maximized. Unfertile soils may require even larger amounts of fertilizers to meet the demand for agricultural production. Once planted, fertilizers, herbicides, and artificial pesticides are all used throughout the growing process to help promote plant growth (with fertilizer), while simultaneously preventing competition from other plants, and degradation from crop-eating pests. The exorbitant use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides is unsustainable and environmentally damaging for two reasons. First and foremost, they are chemicals that can be toxic when organisms are exposed to high concentrations. While the methods by which these chemicals are applied to crops prevent them from accumulating on the food in harmful concentrations, they are difficult for our bodies to process and consuming large amounts of food treated in this manner could lead to health impacts through bio-accumulation. Application of these chemicals onto crops also causes them to be released into the atmosphere as harmful air pollutants. Agricultural run-off from heavy rains removes chemicals from the site of food production and transports them to other locations, polluting soils, waterways, and other ecosystems. When natural systems are polluted in this way, the chemicals are absorbed into the tissues of simple organisms, like algae. These simple organisms are eaten by larger animals further up the food chain; and instead of being destroyed, the chemicals accumulate in the bodies of the larger animals. Through this process, known as ‘bio-accumulation’, chemicals released into natural ecosystems are able to grow to potentially toxic concentrations. At this point they damage the health of the ecosystem by reducing fertility, causing irreparable genetic damage, or even killing important populations. The second reason why using artificial fertilizers and pesticides is unsustainable is because they are very energy-intensive to produce, and thus are heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels. As fossil fuels emit greenhouse gases, the production of these chemicals helps contribute to climate change, a major factor for the long-term sustainability of food production. Fossil fuels are also used to fuel farm equipment used in conventional agriculture, like tractors, graders, and combines. Air pollutants emitted by this equipment contribute to climate change and can impact the health of individuals far away from the site of food production.

Farming also contributes to climate change through the release of methane (a major greenhouse gas) from the production of livestock animals. When animals, like cows, eat plants for sustenance, their digestive tracts produce methane gas, which is excreted as gaseous waste. Farm animals consume a huge amount of food over the course of their lives, and thus also produce a huge amount of solid waste. For example, if a single cow produces 35 kilograms of manure each day, and a farmer has a herd of 100 cattle, then that herd will produce over 1.25 million kilograms of waste each year. While smaller amounts of manure can be used as a natural fertilizer, this amount is unusable and only serves to pollute the air, water, and land.

• One third (1.3 billion tons) of food produced globally is wasted every year. Amounting to about one trillion US dollars’ worth.
• An area larger than China and 25% of the world’s fresh water supply is used to grow food that is never eaten.
• This includes 30% of cereal crops, 40-50% of produce crops, 20% of oil seeds, 20% of meat and dairy, and 35% of fish.
• Per capita food waste in North America and Europe is between 95-115 kilograms (kg) per year. That is more than ten times the waste in developing regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia, and South-Eastern Asia (6-11 kg).
• In industrialized countries like Canada, almost 40% of produce food waste occurs at the retail level because the food does not meet high cosmetic standards.
• Canadians waste $31 billion of food every year; almost half is wasted at the household consumer level.
• Food waste produces 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
• If food waste were a country it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China.
• By the year 2050 the world’s population will increase 33% to 10 billion. To meet the food demands of this growing population we could increase food production 60-70% or repurpose food waste.

Thanks to rapid economic growth, and increased agricultural productivity over the last two decades, the number of people in the world who aren’t getting enough to eat has dropped by almost a half, with regions such as Central and East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean making great strides in eradicating extreme hunger. However, that’s against a background of the global population rising by nearly two billion.

And now recent trends suggest that the hunger problem persists: particularly in Africa and South America, where there are new indications that undernourishment and severe food insecurity are on the rise.

In Sub-Saharan Africa the number of undernourished people has increased, from some 195 million in 2014, to 237 million in 2017. Poor nutrition causes nearly half of deaths in children under five in the region, some 3.1 million children per year.

Achieving the 2030 goal of Zero Hunger, in other words ensuring that nobody goes hungry wherever they are in the world, remains a major challenge.

According to a recent World Food Programme (WFP) the causes of increased hunger include environmental degradation and drought – both of which are impacted by climate change – as well as conflict.

The lack of biodiversity in agriculture is also a cause for concern, and is held responsible for homogenous diets which limit access to food, leading to persistent malnutrition and poverty: current agricultural production revolves around just 12 crops, and around 60 per cent of all calories consumed come from just four crops: rice, wheat corn and soy, despite the wealth of potential foodstuffs around the world.

The good news is that, around the world, innovation and technology are being used to improve a wide range of food production challenges. Here are some examples

Papuan Pigs in the cloud

In Papua New Guinea, where pigs play an important role in the country’s culture and economy, no celebration is complete without a pork roast. The rising global demand for the meat means that farmers now have the opportunity to sell to overseas, as well as local, markets.

However, to do so they need to prove that their livestock meets internationally recognised standards, and this is where the latest digital technology can help.

A digital tracking system has been deployed which for the first time, verifies important information about the pigs. It includes their pedigree, what they were fed and, if they feel sick, what medicines they were prescribed, giving importers and consumers confidence in the quality of the meat they buy.

The system, designed with the help of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and International Telecommunications Unit (ITU), is being piloted in the Jiwaka region.The broadband network there is being improved, so that farmers can more easily use subsidised smartphones to update livestock records, which is stored online, in the cloud.

Weeding out the chemicals in India

Although initially credited with boosting crop yields and saving millions from famine, fertilizers and other chemicals are now under scrutiny in India. Fertilizers are blamed with soil degradation, and resulting stagnant productivity; health issues; and high costs that push farmers into debt. A tragic consequence is the thousands of reported suicides each year in the farming community.

However, in Andhra Pradesh, the UN Environment Programme is supporting an initiative designed to remove chemicals from the farm, using a technique called “Zero Budget Natural Farming” (ZBNF) which it hopes will transform and protect local food systems, and the long-term well-being of farmers.

This form of agriculture takes advantage of the latest scientific knowledgeand eliminates the need for chemicals. The core principles of ZBNF involve coating seeds with formulas made from cow urine and dung; applying these ingredients to the soil; covering the ground with crops and crop residues; and ensuring the soil is aerated.

This reliance on home-grown and readily available resources, allows the farmers involved in the programme  to increase biodiversity and rejuvenate their soils, thus cutting costs and increasing incomes. The regional government of Andhra Pradesh plans to scale up the scheme to some six million farmers by 2024, which would make it India’s first “natural farming” state.

Waste not, want not in Egypt

Whilst there is no silver bullet to solving hunger, the World Food Programme has outlined a vision that breaks the issue down into five steps.

• More protection for the most vulnerable. Expanding social protection for the poorest would raise the purchasing power of the poorest two billion, kickstarting local economies
• Improve infrastructure. Ensure consumers and suppliers can more easily buy and sell, by building better roads, storage facilities and extending electrification
• Reduce food waste. Around one third of the food produced each year is loss or wasted, costing the global economy some $1 trillion per year
• Grow a wider variety of crops. Around 60 per cent of all calories consumed come from just four crops: rice, wheat corn and soy. Ensuring food access and availability in the face of climate change will require the production of a wider range of foods.
• Focus on child nutrition. Good health and nutrition in a child’s first 1,000 days is essential to prevent stunting and promote healthy development.

Around one-third of all food produced globally is either lost or wasted, a staggeringly profligate situation that is estimated to cost the global economy some $1 trillion per year. WFP is trying to stem losses through initiatives such as its #StopTheWaste awareness campaign, launched in early October. The campaign aims to build a global movement and highlight simple solutions that we can all take to fight food waste.

In Egypt, where about half of tomatoes and a third of grapes are lost through inefficient practices before they reach the consumer, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has partnered with the Egyptian government and cooperatives to find ways to limit food losses caused by production surpluses and inefficient practices. This video outlines some of the pragmatic solutions that have resulted from this collaboration.