Future of food

The UN is constantly warning about an impending apocalypse of food production as the world's population exceeds 9 billion, thus facing severe food shortages and reduced crop yields due to global warming, extreme weather, and new pests. In this context, various alternative food development researches such as insect farming, pearling development, and GMO development are underway as solutions for future food shortages, and GMOs are especially regarded as the most realistic alternative.

Cause

The world needs more food due to population growth, but food is being depleted worldwide. The biggest cause is global climate change. Climate change, due to rising temperatures, reduces the world's arable land, and increasing salinization lowers the land's fertility. In the long run, the land will dry up, and the area of grassland will decrease. The fact that two crops, rice and wheat, account for about half of the world's food supply is a danger, and growing meat demand is also a problem. By 2030, the demand for feed will increase to 1 billion tons. In this case, we have to cover an additional 300 million tons of grain. If this cannot be resolved, there will be an outrageous food crisis in which livestock feed competes with food for the poor. In addition, various factors such as soil erosion due to wind erosion, water shortage, population increase, and the risks of industrial breeding are factors contributing to 'food insecurity'.

Importance

Although the global food crisis is a political issue, politicians have been avoiding addressing it. This is also true of the United Nations. There is no master plan to overcome the 'long-term failure' in world food security. In fact, referring to the case of Korea, at the end of 2010, the price of vegetables skyrocketed due to several days of rainstorms, and the fish species on the East Coast of South Korea changed drastically. However, the problem of the world food crisis, which is a matter of great concern, has been unfavorable to humankind at this moment.

Cause of food changes

Ongoing climate change

Of course, the strongest force is climate change. Climate change is affecting global conditions and cannot be restrained. The position of the climate zone is changing. The rain continues to move northward. Extreme weather situations threaten crops. Due to rising global temperatures, many areas of Asia and Africa are in danger of experiencing steadily declining yields. Global warming decreases yields even if temperatures rise by about 2 degrees Celsius. If temperatures rise more than this, crop yields in Africa, Asia, and South America will decrease by up to 40 percent. The price of grain will rise by about one-third.

Decreasing Fertile Soil

The problem begins with the soil. Soil is eroded by wind and water erosion and is degraded by increasing salinity. This is because there is a growing amount of arable land that can only be cultivated through artificial irrigation. This means that the per capita food-producing area is shrinking in terms of the growing number of people in the world. According to experts, the per capita area should be at least 1,400 square meters. There are already many developing nations that are already below this limit. The area will continue to decrease.

A dwindling water reservoir

Forty-two countries worldwide have a lavish lifestyle compared to their water resources. They will become global water dispute zones in the future. Along with West Asia, India and China are also part of this region. Eighty percent of water reserves are lost from irrigated fields. Most of it seeps into the ground, unable to be used because of outdated irrigation techniques. Only 10 percent of the water is actually used for crops.

The extinction of species

In particular, water is needed to grow high-yield crops. High-yield crops rely heavily on water. The improvement of these crops is not yet complete. The World Seed Concerns want the world to become more sophisticated in seed production. The negative aspects of the dominance of high-yield crops are the gradual disappearance of species and breeds. These days, wheat and rice are the two crops that contribute most to the world's food supply. More and more varieties are disappearing within a single species. Diversity, which represents a portion of food security, is being lost in arable land. In the case of rice and wheat, 80 percent of the local species have already vanished.

The appetite for meat

The appetite for meat will grow further. Food production agencies say the annual meat consumption per person is expected to increase to 45 kilograms by 2030. For this reason, it needs to grow 3.49 million cows, 600 million sheep and goats, 1.49 million pigs, and more than twice as much fish. This growth rate is only possible through mass breeding, which uses a lot of grain. One billion tons of grain needs to be added by 2030, but there is no answer to where to farm so many grains. In other words, it means less grain available for human food.

Craving for biofuels

The demand for biofuels is becoming more acute. As oil prices rise, biofuels will absorb more and more materials from the food market, and more and more farmland will be diverted from food production to energy production. Experts predict that by 2030, 58 million hectares of arable land will be used to grow biofuel crops worldwide. Thus, competition between fuel and food, resulting in unfortunate consequences, is inevitable. Increasing energy prices also lead to synergy with the price curve of the energy market.

A burgeoning global population

The problem is compounded by the world's population, which is projected to increase by nearly two billion by 2030. In the future, population growth will be concentrated in the developing world and in cities. The Global Population Status Report 2008 predicts that the world's 3.3 billion urban dwellers will grow to 5 billion by 2030. By 2030, Asia's population will double, and Africa's will triple. Around 2 billion people worldwide live in slums, and one-fourth of them are boys under 18. Faced with soaring food prices and rising food insecurity, 500 million teenagers will be a major threat to national security and world peace.

Impact on food

In-vitro meat

In-vitro meat is currently being produced only on a small scale at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. However, if in-vitro meat becomes widely consumed like regular meat, it will not only be a breakthrough in addressing food shortages but will also have positive effects on animal welfare and environmental protection. In-vitro meat development is expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming, as well as saving water and energy.

Protein from insects

Insects are a nutritious food source. For example, the amount of protein in 100 grams of grasshopper is 70 grams, more than three times that of beef (21 grams). Calcium and iron are also abundant. In addition, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted when insects are raised is only one-tenth of that of pigs and other animals.

Reactions of nations

Korea

Ahn Geun-mook, the head of the Korea Geothermal Association, said, "Korea has contributed to increased food production by utilizing groundwater in the 1980s, and since the 21st century, geothermal energy from groundwater has been utilized," he said. "Since there are many underdeveloped countries that rely heavily on groundwater, it is necessary to start by solving local water problems such as the development of groundwater equipment."

"We should also study how to carry out the research by participating in urban planning research such as the construction of the carbon-neutral city that is currently underway," Duk-Sung Oh, the president of Chung-Nam University, said. "In addition to existing water, food, and energy, we should also consider building resilience.".

Others

United States

• In the United State, 'Impossible Foods' is cultivating plant cells to develop 100% plant-based meat to provide food. The company's goal is to solve the environmental pollution problems caused by animal husbandry through sustainable meat alternatives.
• There is high interest in edible insects in the United States. The North American Edible Insect Coalition (NAEIC) was recently launched and changed its name to the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture (NACIA). They are continuing to work with the FDA to have insect food acknowledged as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). A variety of insect-based foods are available in the United States. Crickets are sold in the form of powder, granola, pasta, as well as snacks. Diving Beetles, grasshoppers, silkworms, and other products are sold mainly online.

See also

• Future food technology
• The Future of Food
• Entomophagy

References

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