“The world already produces more than 1 ½ times enough food to feed everyone on the planet,” noted an article from the Institute for Food and Development Policy. Referencing a new study in the journal Nature by Seufert, Ramankutty, and Foley, the article argues that the primary concern now in combating food insecurity is with access and not production. However, authors Stephen Gliessman and Eric Holtz-Gimenez concede that the research does add to a growing body of evidence that the difference in yields between conventional and organic agriculture production are not as substantial as previously thoughts In fact, the article cites the decades of field trials at the Rodale Institute that have produced similar results. In addition there has been increased attention on how agroecological methods and diversified farming systems can enhance the resilience of the crop production to extreme climatic events and increase sustainability over the long-term. And this type of agriculture may be of greater consequence anyway to the poorest and most food insecure, for whom larger monocrop or input-intensive agriculture is not economically nor environmentally feasible.
So what does this mean for people, food, and nature? It lends support to the notion that there is no silver bullet, and agricultural solutions need to be context-specific so as to support needs of local people and ecosystems. But it also raises the issue that food security is not just a matter of production, but requires social and institutional supports, as well.
Read the article on Food First.
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