How You Can Support the Movement Towards Global Food Security
Global Food Security Starts at Home
Food security has gradually become a global problem. Insights from the World Economic Forum on global food security indicate that by 2050, the world will be feeding two billion more people. This increases food demand by 56% since 2010.
It’s not enough to feed everyone. Food security demands that everyone, everywhere, has physical, social, and economic access to healthy, nutritious food to sustain them. What can we do to reduce this problem?
The solution to ensuring food security involves resolving a mix of intersectional issues, from gender parity to climate change. We need to take action on a global scale, and these actions must involve governments, businesses, corporations, and individuals.
How can we support the movement toward food security? There are a number of ways.
Shifting Our Behavior Towards a Healthier Diet Supports Global Food Security
A healthy diet includes a balance of fruits, vegetables, legumes/nuts, and whole grains. While many people indulge in different dietary choices, ensuring access to healthy diets for everyone, whether or not they have the privilege of choice, is a growing problem. There are many factors to consider such as differences in geography and socioeconomic situations of each person. A comprehensive study from the Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy found that most countries earned a score of 40.3 on a scale of 0 (heavy consumption of sugar and processed meats) to 100 (a balanced diet).
Promoting healthier, balanced diets on a global scale is crucial. Policy makers must begin establishing policies that incentivize healthy foods. These policies can range from healthcare and employer wellness programs to government nutrition programs and agricultural policies. Individually, we must shift our dietary habits to prioritize nutrients and our health, influencing others around us to do the same and raising the demand for nutrient-rich food.
Volunteer With Organizations That Work Towards Global Food Security
NGOs and nonprofits generally share a goal of improving the world and human welfare. NGOs are usually geared towards larger, international-sized projects, while nonprofits are more localized. While some nonprofits qualify as NGOs, not all NGOs are nonprofits.
Maryville University’s feature on NGOs and nonprofits notes that these groups aim to promote public good, only differing in scale and political influence. From huge entities like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN to your local neighborhood food pantry, there are organizations of all sizes seeking to alleviate human suffering through relief efforts — including providing greater food stability.
Working with NGOs or nonprofits can take your individual initiative and help deliver the message to more people in your community — and thanks to the internet, everyone else. Not only are the experiences enriching, but they are also insightful and can help put global issues such as food security into a much-needed perspective.
The Role of Digitization in Global Food Security
Across the globe, there are united and individual efforts happening to make the necessary changes towards improved world food security in the future by digitization. For example, our Storybird technology helps connect consumers to products and producers who use solution-driven practices. Digital solutions can also help in other areas, from verifying carbon output to holding farmers and brands accountable with accurate reports of the impacts of their practices. Technology can also provide real-time reporting of projected and current production so regions can better prepare for food supplies.
In an increasingly interconnected food system, continual improvements in digital technologies can help bridge the gap between communities, governments, and corporations, encouraging transparency and accountability across all levels. Here at Producers Trust, we are focused on helping the agriculture industry navigate the digital age — from digitized contracts to an innovative marketplace platform where farmers and producers are brought closer to consumers.
It’s Time We Reinvent the Food Supply Chain
The bridge between consumers and farmers and producers is a crucial piece of infrastructure in reforming the global food supply chain. A study from the Marche Polytechnic University highlights the importance of a shorter food supply chain as a shift away from inefficient systems. This means upholding a balance of agricultural values such as transparency, environmental protection, health promotion, and social fairness.
The study emphasizes how a shorter food supply chain — such as farm-to-table systems — is value-based. These feature social and health implications while still prioritizing our planet’s health alongside profit and prosperity in the long run.
As with many current problems that we face, food insecurity is large, complex, and multi-faceted, but there are solutions. Some of the solutions must happen at the systemic level and some can start in our homes, our minds, and our behaviors as consusmers and community-members.
