Cyndi's Two Cents

Feeding the world

Commentary.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), more than eight hundred million people on this planet suffer from chronic hunger.  To put it into perspective and better understand that gargantuan number, consider that the U.S. Census estimates the population of the United States on July 4, 2015 was: 321,216,397.

If the prognosticators are correct and the world population is going to increase by a third by 2050, chances are we are all going to have to embrace some changes.  Doubling the food supply is no easy task, especially when, as Grandpa always said about land, “They aren’t making any more of it.”   We will need the space for all of those extra people on this planet, too.

It is my hope and prayer that the number of chronically hungry people does not increase along with population growth.  Realistically, we all know that without a miracle, hunger will persist and grow along with the populace of Planet Earth.

I represent the 7th generation that grew up on my family’s farm.  My roots are planted deeply in agriculture and my present and future is immersed in it as well.  I’ve heard it said for many years that farmers feed the world.  It might be true, but we don’t do it alone now, nor will we in the future.  At present, more than 22 million Americans are employed in farm or farm-related jobs, including production agriculture, farm inputs, processing and marketing and wholesale and retail sales.  Every one of us in the ag spectrum has a role in feeding the world.

There are those who say if we made some changes in how we handle and utilize food products, there would be no hunger problem today.  I agree that many cultures waste a lot of food.  Some of the waste occurs in our homes and some at restaurants and grocery stores.  I know there are leftovers- gone- bad in my refrigerator at home! (Our chickens will feast on dark celery and soft eggplant tonight!)

Some of the waste occurs due to poor infrastructure, transportation and storage.  But even if we never squandered an ort, it’s not only the amount of food that will be a concern in the future, but what type of food is needed where and when.

Americans are blessed with the most abundant, safe and affordable food supply in the world today.  You can choose between many different brands of foodstuffs.  You can purchase skim, whole, 2%, natural and organic.  You can pay a little extra to buy locally raised and harvested meat, eggs, honey and honeydew.

If we wish to continue to enjoy our horn of plenty and overflowing larder, crops grown in the world today will need to produce greater yields.  We will need different, better seed and will probably need to make some changes in practices on our farms, research labs and fields, processing, distribution, and every other step along the way.

When 2050 rolls around, I believe American agriculture will have stepped up the plate and the consumers in this country are still able to enjoy a vast, safe and affordable food supply.  And maybe, just maybe, there will be fewer chronically hungry people.