I recently read a report on "The Enough Movement" and thought I would share its findings. It addresses world hunger and looks at not only food quantity, but quality.Most often when we think of not having enough food, we think of the poor and impoverished who are chronically malnourished. These 870 million souls are an unfortunate reality around the globe. But, there is also great concern as the population is expected to hit 9 billion in 2050, that planet earth will not be able to produce enough food to feed the growing population. The middle class, who are able to purchase a wider variety of food, is expected to swell by 3 billion people – those with the resources to purchase food. And, it is not about just getting food in their bodies – it is about getting the right kind of food in their diets.
The shortfall is expected to come with not having enough resources to grow enough crops or produce enough livestock to feed the growing middle class. But, with appropriate planning now, the goal is to have enough and not use too much of the planet's resources at the same time, suggested The Enough Movement, researched by Elanco.
With a growing middle class, there will be greater demand for animal-sources foods such as meat, milk and eggs. The Food and Agriculture (FAO) organization estimates we will need 60 percent more of these products. And, with a larger middle class, their demand will drive prices higher for these food commodities.
The earth doesn't have unlimited resources, so they must be managed well. On August 20, 2013, we crossed the line where annual resource consumption exceeded the planet's ability to replenish. Currently, it takes 1.5 years to regenerate a year's worth of renewable resources, and that's just not sustainable over time! We need to make more food with less . . . become even more efficient.
To learn more, see the report at www.sensibletable.com.
The author is the online media manager and is responsible for the website, webinars and social media. A graduate of Modesto Junior College and Fresno State, she was raised on a California dairy and frequently blogs on youth programs and consumer issues.
