scholarly journals Coping with hunger? Visions of a global food system, 1930–1960

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Jachertz ◽  
Alexander Nützenadel
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
World Population ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The Great Depression ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Global Food System ◽  
Food Shortages ◽  
Technical Aid ◽  
Global Food

AbstractThe 1930s and 1940s saw the rise of a new model of global food politics. This model was strongly moulded by the experiences of the Great Depression and the two world wars, all of which had brought hunger and malnutrition back to Europe. Whereas until the nineteenth century famines and food shortages had commonly been interpreted as regional Malthusian crises, they were now attributed to global economic disturbances and imbalances. This article explores how the far-reaching plans of a World Food Board, advocated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization under John Boyd Orr, were abandoned and supplanted by a new approach that focused on technical aid and the distribution of surpluses. Moreover, the problems of hunger and malnutrition were embedded in a larger discourse on world population and economic development.

scholarly journals Indicators of Complexity and Over-Complexification in Global Food Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Loring ◽  
Palash Sanyal
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Genetically Modified Crops ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Disruptive Technology ◽  
Least Developed Countries ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Revolution ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Global Food

Global food systems have increased in complexity significantly since the mid-twentieth century, through such innovations as mechanization, irrigation, genetic modification, and the globalization of supply chains. While complexification can be an effective problem-solving strategy, over-complexification can cause environmental degradation and lead systems to become increasingly dependent on external subsidies and vulnerable to collapse. Here, we explore a wide array of evidence of complexification and over-complexification in contemporary global food systems, drawing on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization and elsewhere. We find that food systems in developed, emerging, and least developed countries have all followed a trajectory of complexification, but that return on investments for energy and other food system inputs have significantly declined—a key indicator of over-complexification. Food systems in developed countries are further along in the process of over-complexification than least developed and emerging countries. Recent agricultural developments, specifically the introduction of genetically modified crops, have not altered this trend or improved return on investments for inputs into food systems. Similarly, emerging innovations belonging to the “digital agricultural revolution” are likewise accompanied by energy demands that may further exacerbate over-complexification. To reverse over-complexification, we discuss strategies including innovation by subtraction, agroecology, and disruptive technology.

scholarly journals Introduction: Ethics and the Future of the Global Food System

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-33
Author(s):  
Madison Powers
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Water Pollution ◽  
Dietary Patterns ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Food System ◽  
World Population ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Food System ◽  
Global Food ◽  
Freshwater Availability

The coming decades will present an immense challenge for the planet: sustainably feeding nearly ten billion people that are expected to be alive by 2050. This is no small task, and one that intersects with climate change, geopolitics, the increased globalization of agricultural markets, and the emergence of new technologies. The world faces a challenge of increased demand, propelled by an expanding world population and a global shift in dietary patterns toward more resource-intensive foods. Moreover, changes in demand occur in the context of declining soil fertility and freshwater availability, agriculture's growing contribution to water pollution and climate change, and the emerging threats to agricultural productivity caused by climate disruption.

Biofuels

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pimentel ◽  
Michael Burgess
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Fuels ◽  
Director General ◽  
World Population ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
The World ◽  
Food Shortages ◽  
Food And Feed ◽  
Food Grain ◽  
Increasing Demand

A rapidly growing world population and an even more rapidly growing consumption of fossil fuels are increasing demand for both food and biofuels, which will exaggerate both the food and fuel shortages around the world. Producing biofuels requires huge amounts of both fossil energy and food resources, which will intensify conflicts over these resources. Using food crops to produce ethanol raises major nutritional and ethical concerns. More than 66% of the world human population is currently malnourished, so the need for grains and other basic foods is critical. Growing crops for fuel squanders land, water, and energy resources vital for the production of food for people. Using food and feed crops for ethanol production has brought increases in the prices of US beef, chicken, pork, eggs, breads, cereals, and milk of 10% to 20%. In addition, Jacques Diouf, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that using food grains to produce biofuels is already causing food shortages for the poor of the world. Growing crops for biofuel ignores the need to reduce natural resource consumption and exacerbates the problem of malnourishment worldwide by turning food grain into biofuel.

scholarly journals Indicators of Complexity and Over-complexification in Global Food Systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Loring ◽  
Palash Sanyal
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Genetically Modified Crops ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Disruptive Technology ◽  
Least Developed Countries ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Revolution ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Global Food

Global food systems have increased in complexity significantly since the mid-20th century, through such innovations as mechanization, irrigation, genetic modification, and the globalization of supply chains. While complexification can be an effective problem-solving strategy, over-complexification can cause environmental degradation and lead systems to become increasingly dependent on external subsidies and vulnerable to collapse. Here, we explore a wide array of evidence of complexification and over-complexification in contemporary global food systems, drawing on data from the Food and Agriculture Organization and elsewhere. We find that food systems in developed, emerging, and least developed countries have all followed a trajectory of complexification, but that return on investments for energy and other food system inputs have significantly declined—a key indicator of over-complexification. Food systems in developed countries are further along in the process of over-complexification than least developed and emerging countries. Recent agricultural developments, specifically the introduction of genetically modified crops, have not altered this trend or improved return on investments for inputs into food systems. Similarly, emerging innovations belonging to the “digital agricultural revolution” are likewise accompanied by energy demands that may further exacerbate over-complexification. To reverse over-complexification, we discuss strategies including innovation by subtraction, agroecology, and disruptive technology.

scholarly journals Ensuring Agricultural Sustainability through Remote Sensing in the Era of Agriculture 5.0

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (13) ◽  
pp. 5911
Author(s):  
Vanesa Martos ◽  
Ali Ahmad ◽  
Pedro Cartujo ◽  
Javier Ordoñez
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Sustainable Agriculture ◽  
Information Acquisition ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
World Population ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Zero Hunger

Timely and reliable information about crop management, production, and yield is considered of great utility by stakeholders (e.g., national and international authorities, farmers, commercial units, etc.) to ensure food safety and security. By 2050, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates, around 70% more production of agricultural products will be needed to fulfil the demands of the world population. Likewise, to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the second goal of “zero hunger”, potential technologies like remote sensing (RS) need to be efficiently integrated into agriculture. The application of RS is indispensable today for a highly productive and sustainable agriculture. Therefore, the present study draws a general overview of RS technology with a special focus on the principal platforms of this technology, i.e., satellites and remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs), and the sensors used, in relation to the 5th industrial revolution. Nevertheless, since 1957, RS technology has found applications, through the use of satellite imagery, in agriculture, which was later enriched by the incorporation of remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs), which is further pushing the boundaries of proficiency through the upgrading of sensors capable of higher spectral, spatial, and temporal resolutions. More prominently, wireless sensor technologies (WST) have streamlined real time information acquisition and programming for respective measures. Improved algorithms and sensors can, not only add significant value to crop data acquisition, but can also devise simulations on yield, harvesting and irrigation periods, metrological data, etc., by making use of cloud computing. The RS technology generates huge sets of data that necessitate the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to extract useful products, thereby augmenting the adeptness and efficiency of agriculture to ensure its sustainability. These technologies have made the orientation of current research towards the estimation of plant physiological traits rather than the structural parameters possible. Futuristic approaches for benefiting from these cutting-edge technologies are discussed in this study. This study can be helpful for researchers, academics, and young students aspiring to play a role in the achievement of sustainable agriculture.

scholarly journals Seaweeds As a “Palatable” Challenge between Innovation and Sustainability: A Systematic Review of Food Safety

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7652
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Cavallo ◽  
Chiara Lorini ◽  
Giuseppe Garamella ◽  
Guglielmo Bonaccorsi
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Food System ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Anthropogenic Factors ◽  
Novel Foods ◽  
Food Shortages ◽  
Polluted Sites ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Global Food

Moderate or severe food insecurity affect 2 billion people worldwide. The four pillars of food security (availability, access, use and stability) are in danger due to the impact of climatic and anthropogenic factors which impact on the food system. Novel foods, like seaweeds, have the potential to increase food yields so that to contribute in preventing or avoiding future global food shortages. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess microbiological, chemical, physical, and allergenic risks associated with seaweed consumption. Four research strings have been used to search for these risks. Preferred Reporting Item for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were applied. Finally, 39 articles met the selected criteria. No significant hazards for microbiological, allergenic, and physical risks were detected. Regarding chemical risk, algae can accumulate various heavy metals, especially when harvested in polluted sites. Cultivating seaweeds in a controlled environment allows to avoid this risk. Periodic checks will be necessary on the finished products to monitor heavy metals levels. Since the consumption of algae seems to be on the rise everywhere, it seems to be urgent that food control authorities establish the safety levels to which eating algae does not represent any risk for human health.

scholarly journals Sustainability-Oriented Innovations in Food Waste Management Technology

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 210
Author(s):  
Carlos Martin-Rios ◽  
Anastasia Hofmann ◽  
Naomi Mackenzie
Keyword(s):  
Food Waste ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Third Party ◽  
World Population ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Innovation Activities ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization

Food is essential to our survival, yet the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that about 820 million people were undernourished in 2018. In this context, food waste generation is a particularly salient issue. Wasting food means missing opportunities to feed the growing world population and consuming scarce resources, such as land, water and energy used in the production, processing, distribution and consumption of food. Firms in HORECA (hospitality, restaurant and catering) represent a considerable share of total food waste and, more importantly, are characterized by an overall low sense of awareness about the sustainability-oriented innovation opportunities and challenges of minimizing food waste. This article draws on an in-depth case study to explore the use of technological advancements in downstream value chain. This case study draws on a tech startup providing services for HORECA companies to address a new way for companies to solve the food waste challenge. Adopting technological innovations to quantify and minimize wastage via collaborations with third-party companies can be a strategic and cost-effective way to supplement a company’s open innovation activities.

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