Food Plant Solutions Rotarian Action Group addresses the global food crisis

Posted by Craig Clarke 
on Mar 2, 2012
 
 
 
The looming global food crisis
Intensive research by proponents of the Food Plant Solutions Rotarian Action Group has highlighted the global concern of feeding a projected population of 9.2 billion people by 2050 – 2.5 billion more to feed than in 2010. The international agricultural fraternity appears to have no clear solution on how to address this looming crisis and avoid major nutritional health, environmental and political consequences.
 
In the very near future food security may take centre-stage over national security and even the environment. Chronic maternal and infant mortality rates caused by poor nutrition pose a major challenge to human health and wellbeing and civil unrest and wars are frequently attributed to personal food security. Many developing nations are already experiencing major challenges with food security. If not addressed, the situation is likely to significantly impact on developed nations. The majority of the world’s policy analysts, defence experts, and governments continue to view famine as a consequence of war – not war as a consequence of famine! Global climate will continue to challenge our future, however the global food supply will decree our fate no matter who we are or where we live.
 
Western food-aid programs are failing to address this problem, yet the paradigms that help perpetuate this failure continue to be reiterated. In acute food shortages, direct aid is essential. Sustainable food security must involve self-help. Western food aid programs focus on western food crops that often do not grow well, as they are not well adapted or suited to target countries. They require high cost inputs, that people earning less than $2 per day cannot afford, and which inadequate supply logistics render unavailable. These crops cannot be produced sustainably, and more often than not, lack the essential nutrients to prevent malnutrition in the countries with the greatest need. By neglecting support for production of food with appropriate nutritional value, Western aid donors may have perhaps unintentionally laid a pathway of failure and conflict.
 
Addressing food security and nutritional health is complex because it is currently driven by large and profound intractable causes that tend to amplify one another, with no easy remedy such as technology, subsidies or individual country policy changes relating to economics, politics and trade. Other factors such as consumer demands, water and land scarcity, soil nutrient losses and farming energy requirements are all contributing factors in addressing this looming crisis. The challenge facing the 1.8 billion people who grow our food today is to double their output by 2050, using far less water, land, energy and fertiliser while dealing with economic disincentives and corrupt markets – almost requiring a miracle.
 
Some authorities have even suggested that a refugee ‘tsunami’ could result from a general food crop failure occurring in the Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, China, the sub-Sahara or North Africa, or Southeast or East Asia. Movements of perhaps one or two hundred million refugees would alter the politics, demography and culture of entire regions.
 
The fierce debate between western high-intensity technology-driven food production versus smallholder farming remains an ideological divide. What may eventuate is that productive smallholders focus on their families and local communities, whilst western high-intensity broadacre farming and agri-food technologies are increased to feed rapidly expanding urban populations.
 
Another emerging problem with lethal consequences in developing countries is that deficiencies in essential nutrients are posing a vast global health problem for millions of people. In particular, Vitamin A, iron, iodine and zinc deficiencies increase the probability of early death for women and children and impaired physical and mental development in children. Vitamin A deficiency leads to approximately one million child deaths per year and many more are rendered blind by this insidious deficiency.
 
 
With the challenging title, End Malnutrition Now: The Evergreen Revolution, Learn Grow and Food Plant Solutions Rotarian Action Group will be delivering a dynamic breakout session at the 2012 Rotary International Convention in Bangkok.
 
Chefs around the globe are discovering the "lost" food plants of the world and presenting them on television. Nutritionists are highlighting the food values of overlooked traditional food plants. Front line agriculturalists are again focussing on the less well-known food plants of the world to produce the "evergreen revolution."
 
Moderated by PRID Dr John Thorne, Chairman of Food Plants Solutions Rotarian Action Group, the breakout session will feature Bruce French, agricultural scientist. He will present an overview of the comprehensive database of the world’s food plants that he has developed over a lifetime and demonstrate how this information can be used as a tool for elimination of malnutrition in an "evergreen revolution".
 
Buz Green, agricultural scientist and Chairman of Learn Grow, will then present a framework for action. He will explain how Rotarians everywhere can be actively involved in delivering this solution to eliminate malnutrition in South-East Asia and the developing world.
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