There is no simple solution to sustainably feeding
9 billion people, especially as many become
increasingly better off and converge on richcountry
consumption patterns. A broad range of
options, including those we have discussed here,
needs to be pursued simultaneously. We are
hopeful about scientific and technological innovation
innovation
in the food system, but not as an excuse
to delay difficult decisions today.
Any optimism must be tempered by the
enormous challenges of making food production
sustainable while controlling greenhouse
gas emission and conserving dwindling water
supplies, as well as meeting the Millennium Development
Goal of ending hunger. Moreover, we
must avoid the temptation to further sacrifice
Earth’s already hugely depleted biodiversity for
easy gains in food production, not only because
biodiversity provides many of the public goods
on which mankind relies but also because we do
not have the right to deprive future generations of
its economic and cultural benefits. Together, these
challenges amount to a perfect storm.
Navigating the storm will require a revolution
in the social and natural sciences concerned with
food production, as well as a breaking down of
barriers between fields. The goal is no longer
simply to maximize productivity, but to optimize
across a far more complex landscape of production,
environmental, and social justice outcomes.