Opinion
Universal Food Security: This book says we already have the tools we need to solve world hunger (Part 1)
Universal Food Security: This book says we already have the tools we need to solve world hunger (Part 1)
By Yvette Tan
AVANT GARDENER
In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos wanted to assemble the infinity gauntlet so he could eradicate half of all life in the universe because he claimed that genocide is what is needed to restore balance and to keep resources from being depleted by overpopulation. This was not his reason for doing so in the comic book, and people have since pointed out that if his only concern was resource depletion, why didn’t he just snap his fingers and wish for either double the resources, or the repair of the broken systems that caused the depletion in the first place?
While movies offer us an easy solution, reality is completely different. “We have eight billion people, and somehow they are keeping… alive without a food system. We drastically altered the planet in order to do that. Let us not forget that by 2050, we will be 10 billion. Add two billion more, and they are probably going to change their diets,” says author Glenn Denning, a professor at the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). “As income increases, people want a more diversified diet; they want to eat better and eat more, so there is going to be a lot of pressure in the food system, and one of the factors driving that is the population.”
A world without hunger
In his book Universal Food Security: How to End Hunger While Protecting the Planet, Denning posits that a world without hunger is possible if the broken food system is repaired. Aside from three years of extensive research, he draws on decades of firsthand experience in the agriculture industry, particularly on food security issues, around the world (with a focus on Asia and Africa), including 18 years at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños.
“I really wanted it to be science-based, I wanted it to be based on evidence. I really felt there was too much confusion in the world of agriculture and food security, and I really want to bring clarity to it,” he said in a video interview, which has been condensed for brevity. “I have known about every expert in agriculture and food security over the years, so I could draw on them and also draw on my own experience, particularly for contexts and giving examples. I do not draw on it as evidence; I draw on it as a context, which is an important thing.”
Not a new thing
The thought that the world already produces enough resources to feed everyone in it if only it were distributed equitably is not new. “We basically understand what it takes to achieve universal food security, and by universal food security, the core is that every person on the planet, all eight billion people, can consume a healthy diet that is good for their growth, development, immunity, and all the other good things we want from a diet,” he said. “At the same time, that food can be produced and delivered in a sustainable way, meaning we are not doing it at the expense of the climate.”
What the book is, is a vision: “...the core argument that I used is that it is not based on some miracle… It is really going to require a comprehensive and contextual approach that cuts across not just agriculture but right across the food system in terms of the market infrastructure and managing post-harvest losses and waste, which means changing people's diets and helping them toward a healthy diet. It also requires effective social protection programs for people who are in a position to help themselves.”
Cooperation is required
Denning cites what he calls “the big five,” a strategy for food systems investment composed of interrelated themes that need to be reinforced by core institutions such as government, businesses, universities, NGOs, and so on. These are: sustainable intensification, market infrastructure, postharvest stewardship, healthy diets, and social protection. “Agriculture is just one component; it is a very important piece, and we should not neglect it. But there are many other components that come together to create food security.”
Given that the world already has the resources needed to end global hunger, the challenge is getting stakeholders on board. “I guess different people and stakeholders have different reasons for not embracing these ideas. There’s a lot of … protection in terms of people’s discipline with work, whether they happen to be a rice person, a livestock person, or an aquaculture person. People focus on what they are interested in, and they kind of protect and advance.”
Next week, Denning discusses what can be done to end world hunger and how to get stakeholders on board.