How will humanity feed itself by 2050? | News | Eco-Trade

The food industry is now facing a daunting task: to feed 10 billion mouths in a fair and sustainable way by 2050. According to the United Nations Organization for the 39, food and agriculture, the food supply must more than double in 30 years for the world One in nine people in the world is suffering from hunger today and in South Asia alone -Est, four countries – Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam – have the highest levels of malnutrition in the world.

With rapid change and urbanization impacting the food system, it will become increasingly difficult to ensure affordable and nutritious food for the world.

Changes in weather patterns due to climate change and land degradation, for example, could drastically reduce agricultural yields to the point that it would require 75 million hectares of additional farmland for compensate for the shortfall, according to a recent report Rural-urban migration and increased incomes mean that fewer farmers are cultivating the land, and less space for cultivation as arable lands give way the place for urban development. Urbanization has also been linked to the increase in meat consumption rates and the increase in calorie intake per person, which increases the need for the world to produce more calories. calories.

The search for solutions is urgent. Yannick Foing, Global Head, Partner Engagement in Nutrition Enhancement at DSM Nutritional Products, tells Eco-Business: "We need to work with the public sector, non-governmental organizations and consumers to make sure we are all aligned. "

" Can we consider a more sustainable supply? Can we promote diversified diets locally grown? How can we look at all the sustainable options to have an impact on food security?

Cultivating Farms in Cities

The solution seems simple: if the world's farmers could intensify their agricultural activities and become more productive, less land and fewer farmers could meet the production needs for l & # 39; future. The introduction of high-yielding crop varieties, the increased use of fertilizer and the improvement of agricultural land irrigation available are methods that have been mentioned in recent years to stimulate agricultural production, especially in developing countries.

But a new study released earlier this year has shown that increasing agricultural production with the help of pesticides and fertilizers will be costly to small farmers and the environment . While this would increase short-term yields, it could also degrade the soil and jeopardize long-term productivity, said the authors. Food quality could also be compromised by the intensive use of substandard fertilizers, which farmers around the world use to achieve high production goals.

"The food system has not really changed in the last 20 years," says Gerard Chia, business development manager at VisVires New Protein, a venture capital fund that invests in breakthrough technologies for global food systems. "We have always seen an intensification of food production that focuses on quantity rather than quality."

"

How can we consider all of the sustainable options for impacting food security? 19659014] Yannick Foing, Global Leader, Commitment of Partners in Improving Nutrition, DSM Nutritional Products [19659012] A new innovative way of providing food to urban populations that has gained popularity in the world is urban agriculture.

Rendering of vertical fish farming of floating ponds, conceptualized by Surbana Jurong and Apollo Aquaculture Group Their model of urban aquaculture has yielded yields six times higher than traditional agriculture, using the same acreage Image: Surbana Jurong

In Singapore, Apollo Aquaculture Group has launched a project of High-level seafood production, which yields six times the yield of traditional fish farms. layers of products on top of each other and combine advanced farming techniques such as aeroponics and hydroponics – are becoming more common, rising from one in 2012 to seven in 2016. In Japan, farmers urban households account for one-quarter of agricultural households, generating one-third of the nation's agricultural output.

Urban agriculture as a solution addresses the issue of food security, as well as the major problem of food waste by being close to the end consumer.

Associate Professor Ralph Graichen, who heads the Food and Nutrition Council for Biomedical Research at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A * STAR) in Singapore.

and in Southeast Asia, about 59% of food is lost before arriving at the dining table due to lack of services and infrastructure, and globally , food losses due to the inefficiency of the supply chain reach 65%. f global food waste.

According to Graichen: "The more food we produce, the more we need to invest in the preservation and management of the supply chain."

The loss of food and waste inspire new solutions in Asia.

at A * Star in Singapore unveiled a new packaging material that extends the shelf life of foods by at least 50 percent. Longer shelf life not only allows customers to reduce food waste at home by making products last longer; it also limits deterioration during transport.

Japan is trying to solve the problem by using data technology by developing an artificial intelligence system that predicts food demand based on weather information and sales data. This allows companies to reduce unnecessary production and eliminate losses of food stocks.

By reducing the amount of food waste leaving the food system, the world could save up to $ 1 trillion and boost food security.

Working Together for the Future of Food

Ensuring that the next generation is well nourished is not limited to producing enough food. In order to support prosperous and healthy populations, feeding the world in the future also requires meeting their nutritional needs.

Various stakeholders inside and outside the food and agriculture industry are collaborating to create nutritious and affordable food consumers in Asia-Pacific. For example, DSM in China and India has developed an enriched rice that looks and tastes similar to normal rice.

Increased levels of atmospheric CO2 could affect the nutritional quality of the food we eat, according to a major report by the US Global Change Research Program. Image: Shutterstock

But DSM's Foing recognizes that businesses are limited in what they can achieve on their own. "We can not do it alone – as an industry, we have innovative products, but we need to partner with others so that we can channel these products to the consumers who need them most. "he says. as businesses and government, consumers and NGOs, should define the new era of food, given the drastic changes needed to ensure that the industry is ready to meet the challenge of feeding 10 billion of mouths. It's this concentration on partnerships that has led DSM to organize sustainable actions for change in Singapore, bringing together industry professionals, government officials, academia and civil society to discuss ways to provide affordable, accessible and nutritious food to low- and middle-income countries. consumers in the region.

"Nutritious and dense food [for the masses] is possible if we communicate and educate properly to make it acceptable to consumers. This will help provide nutrient-rich foods in the future, even if the overall food supply diminishes, "explains Professor Graichen. "We must also be more open to technology.If we can produce food in an urban environment in the future, the supply can be satisfied."

                        
                            

                                

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