Posted by: JaredFurtado on Oct 17, 2011

The challenge of feeding 9 billion people in a truly sustainable way is without doubt one of the most pressing issues that our civilization must face. The success of this challenge will rely heavily on the imagination, innovation, and determination of people around the world.

In this article, Jonathan A. Foley proposes a five-step global plan that could potentially increase food availablity around the world by 100 to 180 percent while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emission, biodiversity loss, water use and water pollution.



One device that would help foster this new food system would be the equivalent of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program now in place for constructing new commercial buildings sustainably. This LEED program awards increasingly higher levels of certification based on points that are accumulated by incorporating any of a wide range of green options, from solar power and efficient lighting to recycled building materials and low construction waste.

For sustainable agriculture, foods would be awarded points based on how well they deliver nutrition, food security and other public benefits, minus their environmental and social costs. This certification would help us get beyond current food labels such as “local” and “organic,” which really do not tell us much about what we are eating. Instead we can look at the whole performance of our food—across nutritional, social and environmental dimensions—and weigh the costs and benefits of different farming approaches.

Imagine the possibilities: sustainable citrus and coffee from the tropics, connected to sustainable cereals from the temperate zone, supplemented by locally grown greens and root vegetables, all grown under transparent, performance-based standards. Use your smartphone and the latest sustainable food app, and you will learn where your food came from, who grew it, how it was grown, and how it ranks against various social, nutritional and environmental criteria. And when you find food that works, you can tweet about it to your social network of farmers and foodies.

Click Here to Read the Full Article.



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