Five Steps To Meet Increasing Global Food Supply Demands

By Melissa Lind, contributing writer

Estimates show that the worldwide population will expand to 9 billion people by the year 2050.  As many areas struggle to supply adequate food for their population, the global food supply chain continues to expand with signs of slowing

Jonathon Foley, Director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, is addressing the challenge of feeding an expanding population as part of an eight-month series on global-food issues in National Geographic Magazine. Foley is the head of a team of scientists offering five steps they believe are needed to meet the increasing, global demand for food. Listed below are highlights of Foley’s plan.

Freezing Agriculture’s Footprint

The global environment cannot continue to support the conversion of virgin land to agriculture use.  As natural forests are converted to agricultural land, climate changes produce environmental conditions that make farming untenable.

Grow More On Existing Farms

Farming practices must become more efficient, growing better and larger quantities of food on the land already in use.  This may be especially important in developing countries that show low crop yields and poor educational systems.

Find Ways To More Efficiently Use Resources

Water and nutrients are a premium resource and not expandable.  Farming and food production practices must use resources in such a way as to increase output without increasing the demand for water and nutrients as they may not be available.  A shift to urban agriculture, moving food production indoors with agroponics, can help eliminate some of the expanding strain on rural systems

Modify Our Diets

A change of the public perception of what quality is as it relates to food could reduce the strain on agriculture. This can be done simply by encouraging the use of food ingredients that are more efficient to produce.  For example, it takes several pounds of both grain and petroleum to produce one pound of meat.  Shifting nutritional recommendations and dietary preferences can decrease the demand for large-footprint consumables.   

Reduce Waste

Estimates show that up to half of farm output doesn’t make it to the consumer and is lost somewhere in the supply chain. Farmers’ markets have seen a 75 percent increase over the last five years as consumers see value in removing the middle man and perceive the quality of offerings.  Simply stated, shopping locally reduces food supply waste. Additionally, more employment of developing technology utilizing big data to monitor production at every level and encourage efficiency and identify gaps is needed.

What's The Impact Of Big Data In The Cold Chain?

In his National Geographic article, Foley concludes “This is a pivotal moment when we face unprecedented challenges to food security and the preservation of our global environment. The good news is that we already know what we have to do; we just need to figure out how to do it. Addressing our global food challenges demands that all of us become more thoughtful about the food we put on our plates.”