Food Crisis Solution: Reconsider How We Farm

Hunger and malnutrition are becoming more pressing global health issues. As world population increases there are more people to feed with limited supplies. However, the new State of the World Report by the Worldwatch Institute has some innovative solutions for combating world hunger.

According to London's Guardian, the report suggests that it is more beneficial for communities to farm locally, noting that such efforts aid in reducing food waste, increase food security, help address climate issues, and are self-sustaining. That is as opposed to the current system that focuses on production, where farmers are encouraged to farm for quantity and not quality. The Guardian’s article quotes Worldwatch’s co-director Brian Halweil saying:

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If we shift just some of our attention away from production to consumption issues and reducing food waste, we might actually get quite a big bang for our buck, because that ground has been neglected. The majority of incentives that governments give to farmers are still tied to the production mindset. The farmers are rewarded for sheer production quantity, with very little guidance for the quality they produce and the impact of their farming practices on the environment and on human health and nutrition.

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For further information, the Worldwatch Institute’s blog, Nourishing the Planet, features lectures and articles on proposals to combat global hunger and malnutrition.

Image: farming woman, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from photoann's photostream