scholarly journals Feeding the World in a Time of Climate Change

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-20
Author(s):  
Gary W. van Loon ◽  
Atanu Sarkar
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Food System ◽  
The Core ◽  
Food Grains ◽  
The World ◽  
Core Feature ◽  
Critical Problems ◽  
The Many ◽  
Global Population

Abstract Maintaining a plentiful and high-quality food supply is essential to enable humans to survive and flourish in the coming decades. In 2019/20, an estimated 2.71 Gt of food grains have been produced worldwide. This fundamental food source is alone enough to supply sufficient nutritional kilocalories for the entire current global population. And nutrition is supplemented by the many other crops, livestock and sea food that are part of the overall food system. Yet, in the same year, it is estimated that around 821 million people, more than one tenth of the 7.6 billion people in the world were chronically hungry. There are many reasons for this. Waste—the FAO estimates that around one third of food produced is wasted—is certainly one, but also important are the inequities in the food production and supply system. While much can and should be done to correct these two critical problems, sustainable agriculture remains as the core feature of a healthy food supply.

Food security in the 21st century and in the role of biotechnology

foresight ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Per Pinstrup‐Andersen ◽  
Marc J. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Supply Side ◽  
Adequate Diet ◽  
The World ◽  
Productivity Gains ◽  
Global Population ◽  
Global Food

Although global food production has consistently kept pace with population growth, the gap between food production and demand in certain parts of the world is likely to remain. More than 800 million people in developing countries lack access to a minimally adequate diet. Continued productivity gains are essential on the supply side, because global population will increase by 73 million people a year over the next two decades. In this article we assess the current global food situation, look at the prospects through to the year 2020, and outline the policies needed to achieve food security for all. Emphasis is on the role that agricultural biotechnology might play in reaching this goal.

Conclusion: An Alternative Agriculture for Our Time

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Connor J. Fitzmaurice ◽  
Brian J. Gareau
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Food System ◽  
Consumer Involvement ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Local Agriculture ◽  
Shopping Experience ◽  
Alternative Markets ◽  
Small Scale Farmers ◽  
Full Force ◽  
The Many

Without abandoning the practical idea of farming as a business, the small-scale farmers in this book foster connections between consumer experiences and expectations and farming practices that support their visions of organic. They try to build new, alternative markets to challenge the watering down of “organic” that the full-force entrance of corporate market logics ushered in. However, there are limitations to how sustainable such farming operations can be without further changing the relationships the modern food system is based upon. This chapter begins by recognizing the many limitations of localism, including the potentially neoliberal aspects of such efforts. However, the neoliberal notion that individuals can and should bring forth their own interests and engage in political contestation could (paradoxically) be the very kernel that further popularizes small-scale food production networks that provide safer, more healthful food and a better sense of community than the isolating conventional shopping experience. Finally, the chapter considers how deepening consumer involvement in the process of agriculture, incorporating concerns about social justice into local food systems, and addressing the inefficiencies of decentralized food production could push local agriculture to be even more alternative.

Our Food Supply

2021 ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Michael P. Hoffmann ◽  
Carrie Koplinka-Loehr ◽  
Danielle L. Eiseman
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Consumer Spending ◽  
Food Supply Chain ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Tree Nuts ◽  
Changing Climate ◽  
Fresh Vegetables ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Right

This chapter describes where the food we love and need comes from and how it gets to our table. The fresh vegetables we enjoy may come from a local farmers market, the grapes from California, tree nuts from Vietnam, coffee from Brazil, spices from India, and fish from the Bering Sea, to name a few. This global interconnected and interdependent food system that feeds us also provides 40 per cent of global employment and accounts for 10 per cent of consumer spending. But it faces increasing risks from a changing climate. With a global view of the food system as a foundation, the chapter then considers how the many changes in the climate are affecting plants, the basis of life. Plants require the right temperatures, water, soil, air, and sunlight. All of these requirements except sunlight are changing, with subtle to profound implications. The air now has more of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, which means that most plants will grow faster and bigger, but any benefit will be offset by stress from increasing heat and drought. The chapter also looks at how the changing climate affects pests, pollinators, and the food supply chain.

Biotechnology – opportunities for Europe

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 135-139
Author(s):  
C. Warkup
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Food Production ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Human Medicine ◽  
Early Years ◽  
The Other ◽  
Human Stem Cells ◽  
The World ◽  
Impartial Observer ◽  
The Many

The title of this paper, as proposed by the meeting organisers, implies that Europe is different when it comes to biotechnology. In the early years of the 21st Century, even an impartial observer would agree that Europe differs from most of the rest of the world in its attitudes to at least one biotechnology – Genetically Modified (GM) crops. On the other hand, parts of Europe are seen as relatively enthusiastic about applications of biotechnology in human medicine. Take for instance, the UK's stance on research with human stem cells. Do these differences reflect permanent differences or merely a more cautious approach in Europe to the adoption of biotechnology in food production? Does this matter to pig producers?This paper seeks to give a broad and shallow overview of the opportunities for developments in biotechnology to impact on pig production. It will consider which of the many potential new technologies, if they were available now, might be acceptable in Europe and what might be the consequences of failure to access technologies that others exploit.

scholarly journals Humorism and Characterization in Topan’s Mfalme Juha

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 62-78
Author(s):  
Emiliano Minerba
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
The Core ◽  
Critical History ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The World ◽  
Core Feature ◽  
Art And Culture ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Inner Contradictions

This paper discusses the character of King Juha, the protagonist of the comedy Mfalme Juha by Farouk Topan, using an approach that considers the humoristic dimension of this character. The definition of humorism employed here is that given by Pirandello: the result of an aesthetic process in which the comic effect deriving from an object of laughter is tempered and contrasted by a “sentiment of the contrary” that observes and builds empathy with the inner contradictions of the object itself. After a short outline of Mfalme Juha’s critical history which shows that the humoristic dimension of King Juha has never been considered in critiques, this paper focuses on an analysis of this character, in which the core feature of egocentricity is identified. Juha’s egocentricity and its humoristic nature are analysed in the character’s relationship with his subjects as their king and in his idea of art and culture; in both cases it is shown that what is important is not the wickedness or egoism of Juha, but his lack of comprehension of the world. Juha is incapable of understanding his environment and other people, since he can not doubt his own superiority: this puts him in several comic situations, but on the other hand makes him a victim of his smart subjects, so that he arouses a feeling of sympathy in which Pirandello’s sentiment of the contrary can be traced.

Lending a Voice to the Voiceless: The Quest for Justice in Umutesi's Narrative

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aloys Habimana
Keyword(s):  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Great Lakes Region ◽  
Mass Violence ◽  
African Great Lakes ◽  
The Core ◽  
Military Regimes ◽  
The World ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
The Many ◽  
Simple Narrative

Surviving the Slaughter is a powerful narrative that takes us into one of the many tragedies of the African Great Lakes region that affected tens of thousands of helpless Rwandan civilians in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide inside Rwanda. Through the eyes of an ordinary, but also remarkable, woman, we learn the horrifying details of the ordeals that Rwandan refugees in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) went through after their camps were destroyed manu militari. The value of this book goes beyond that of a simple narrative. As we read it, we are absorbed by an account of a breathtaking and excruciating journey of tens of thousands of people as they are hunted down in the dense rainforests of the Congo. At the core of this account is one woman's protest against the absurdity of mass violence and the inhuman brutality of military regimes.At first glance, the book stands out as a strong stand against the corrosive tradition of silence that often accompanies gross violations of human rights, especially those unfolding beyond the scrutiny of the major world media. In a simple but engaging style, Umutesi strips off the usual veneer of reserve that characterizes Rwandans in general and Rwandan women in particular. Rwandans don't usually talk about their experiences, let alone write about them. And writing about the plight of people whom the world has often considered pariahs since the 1994 genocide requires a strong personality.

scholarly journals Water Footprint Assessment of Food Loss and Waste Management Strategies in Spanish Regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7538
Author(s):  
Daniel Hoehn ◽  
María Margallo ◽  
Jara Laso ◽  
Israel Ruiz-Salmón ◽  
Ana Fernández-Ríos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Paris Agreement ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Food Loss ◽  
Water Degradation ◽  
Spanish Regions ◽  
The World

The availability of freshwater is one of the biggest limitations and challenges of food production, as freshwater is an increasingly scarce and overexploited resource in many parts of the world. Therefore, the concept of water footprint (WF) has gained increasing interest, in the same way that the generation of food loss and waste (FLW) in food production and consumption has become a social and political concern. Along this line, the number of studies on the WF of the food production sector is currently increasing all over the world, analyzing water scarcity and water degradation as a single WF indicator or as a so-called WF profile. In Spain, there is no study assessing the influence of FLW generation along the whole food supply chain nor is there a study assessing the different FLW management options regarding the food supply chain’s WF. This study aimed to assess the spatially differentiated WF profile for 17 Spanish regions over time, analyzing the potential linkages of FLW management and water scarcity and water degradation. The assessment considered compliance and non-compliance with the Paris Agreement targets and was based on the life cycle assessment approach. Results are highlighted in a compliance framework; the scenarios found that anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting (to a lesser extent) had the lowest burdens, while scenarios with thermal treatment had the highest impact. Additionally, the regions in the north of Spain and the islands were less influenced by the type of FLW management and by compliance with the Paris Agreement targets.

scholarly journals To Live is to Devour Others

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 218-242
Author(s):  
Christian Frigerio
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Food Ethics ◽  
Ought Implies Can ◽  
The Core ◽  
Narrative Device ◽  
The World ◽  
Core Problem ◽  
Kantian Principle ◽  
Moral Philosophers

This paper studies how Ishida Sui’s Tokyo Ghoul creates its typical sense of “tragedy,” by stressing the injustice inherent in every act of eating, and by generalizing the model of nutrition to every ethically laden act. Ishida undermines the Kantian principle that “ought implies can,” depicting a twisted world which forces us into wrongdoing: we have to eat, but there is no Other we can eat with moral impunity. Still, his characters provide some ethical models which could be implemented in our everyday food ethics, given that the tragicality spotted by Ishida is not that alien to our food system: food aesthetics, nihilism, amor fati, living with the tragedy, and letting ourselves be eaten are the options Ishida offers to cope with the tragedy, to approach the devastation our need for food brings into the world in a more aware and charitable way. The examination of Ishida’s narrative device, conducted with the mediation of thinkers such as Lévinas, Ricoeur, Derrida, and other contemporary moral philosophers, shall turn the question: “how to become worthy of eating?” into the core problem for food ethics.

scholarly journals The Ideological Background of Japanese Expansionism, C. 1900

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-54
Author(s):  
Harald Kleinschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Early Years ◽  
Japanese Archipelago ◽  
The Core ◽  
Colonial Expansion ◽  
Japanese Military ◽  
The World ◽  
Core Feature ◽  
East And Southeast Asia ◽  
Ideological Background ◽  
The Japanese Archipelago

Abstract This paper examines the ideologies informing the expansion of Japanese rule at c. 1900. The core feature discussed is the idea of tenka (天下; literally translated: all under heaven), constituting the group of ruled in terms of a universalist indigenat (kokumin 国民), which allowed its expansion beyond the Japanese archipelago at government discretion. The concept of the universalist indigenat, having been tied to the Confucian perception of the world as a well-ordered and change-absorbing entity, conflicted with the European concept of the nation as a particularistically conceived type of group, tied to the perception of the world as a dynamic and largely unruly entity. During the latter third of the nineteenth and the early years of the twentieth century, some Japanese intellectuals came to appreciate the dynamism enshrined in the European perception of the world and worked it into established universalism. The fusion produced a powerful ideology of colonial expansion targeted primarily at East and Southeast Asia as well as the South Pacific. By contrast, European military strategists and political theorists, unaware of the Japanese strategic conceptions, expected that solely Russia formed the target of Japanese military expansion.

The Regulation of Agri-Food Safety by Regulations

2021 ◽  
pp. 85-107
Author(s):  
Surbhi Kapur
Keyword(s):  
Food Safety ◽  
Information Asymmetry ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food System ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Food System ◽  
Risk Assessment And Management ◽  
Global Food

The majority of the nations around the world have become melting pots of civilization, leading to an increasing interconnectedness of the global food system. However, with the long-winded food supply chains there exists information asymmetry between the consumers and the food they consume, making them more vulnerable to the outbreaks of diseases caused by tainted food. As an assurance that food is acceptable for human and animal consumption, food safety averts any exposure to food frauds and foodborne illness outbreaks therefrom. For this reason, the law endows the food regulators and the food business operators (FBOs) with the “trace, alert, and recall” tools at all levels of a food supply chain to regulate the safety of both the domestic as well as the imported articles of food. As a risk assessment and management tool, traceability furthers the mandate of law enforcement in facilitating and targeting the recall or removal/withdrawal of articles of foods.

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