Food: The Key Concepts

As the world’s population grows, so should our concern about food availability in the coming years. In FOOD: The Key Concepts, Warren Belasco predicts what would happen as the population grows and the rest of the world catches up to North America in gluttony and consumerism. Hunger is hardly a new problem for the planet; Jonathan Swift believed that improving agriculture was a worthy endeavor even in the eighteenth century, when the world’s population was a fraction of what it currently is. The population has increased six fold since 1800 and now is a staggering 6 billion people, and we are now close to overwhelming the planet’s resources. Agriculture uses eight percent of this country’s fresh water supply, and of that amount eighty percent goes to the production of meat. Meat production also makes use of copious amounts of corn, soy, and fuel. Furthermore, we are unaware of how much monoculture plantations of destroy the topsoil. Belasco suggests two scenarios that attempt to solve the predicament humans have found themselves in. One alternative relies completely on new technology to provide humans with exactly what they want: unlimited, convenient food that tastes good, but is not necessarily the most nutritious. The demand for this will drive the technology to provide this. In this alternate future, we will ignore the environmental consequences, and form technology that adapts to the deteriorating environment. The other option is an anthropological solution in which people change their mindset about food and become active in sustainable agriculture. However, consumers will have to endure preparing their own food, and higher prices. Utopian agrarian society will become the norm again. Belasco realizes that neither of these extremes will prevail, but a combination is the most realistic solution.
To me, the agrarian utopia sounded like a pretty good idea. I would be more than willing to live on a farm in order to do my part in the second alternative. I have often wondered if there was a way to feed the population without completely destroying the small farmer, and even though this hypothetical situation is very unlikely, it is not impossible. I realize that people will not want to cook for themselves, or do without the conveniences of prepared food but the benefits far outweigh the time commitment. A solution is hard to imagine, but is it possible to drastically change the values of modern society to include sustainable agriculture? I was shocked at how much water agriculture and especially meat production entails, but are people prepared to reduce their meat consumptions? The alarming statistics and predictions for the future are quite terrifying, but I wonder how much of them are merely exaggerations aimed at motivating people to change. This chapter definitely opened my eyes to how detrimental our gluttony is to the environment.