Have we reached 'peak food'?
Shortages loom as global production rates slow:
Staples such as wheat, chicken and rice are slowing in growth - with
dire consequences
The world has entered an era of "peak food" production with an array
of staples from corn and rice to wheat and chicken slowing in growth -
with potentially disastrous consequences for feeding the planet.
New research finds that the supply of 21 staples, such as eggs, meat,
vegetables and soybeans is already beginning to run out of momentum,
while the global population continues to soar.
Peak chicken was in 2006, while milk and wheat both peaked in 2004
and rice peaked way back in 1988, according to new research from Yale
University, Michigan State University and the Helmholtz Centre for
Environmental Research in Germany.
What makes the report particularly alarming is that so many crucial
sources of food have peaked in a relatively short period of history, the
researchers said.
"People often talk of substitution. If we run out of one substance we
just substitute another.
But if multiple resources are running out, we've got a problem.
Mankind needs to accept that renewable raw materials are reaching their
yield limits worldwide," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, of Michigan State
University.
"This is a strong reason for integration ... rather than searching
for a one-for-one substitution to offset shortages," he added. Peak
production refers to the point at which the growth in a crop, animal or
other food source begins to slow down, rather than the point at which
production actually declines. However, it is regarded as a key signal
that the momentum is being lost and it is typically only a matter of
time before production plateaus and, in some cases, begins to fall -
although it is unclear how long the process could take.
"Just nine or 10 plants species feed the world. But we found there's
a peak for all these resources. Even renewable resources won't last
forever," said Ralf Seppelt, of the Helmholtz Centre.
The research, published in the journal Ecology and Society, finds
that 16 of the 21 foods examined reached peak production between 1988
and 2008. This synchronisation of peak years is all the more worrying
because it suggests the whole food system is becoming overwhelmed,
making it extremely difficult to resurrect the fortunes of any one
foodstuff, let alone all of them, the report suggested.
The simultaneous peaking of the world's basic foodstuffs is largely
down to the competing demands of a mushrooming population, which is
putting ever-greater strain on the land for housing, agriculture,
business and infrastructure. At the same time, producing more of any one
staple requires the use of extra land and water, which increases their
scarcity and makes it harder to increase food production in the future.
Finally, increases in production tend to push up pollution, which
exacerbates shortages of resources and slows the growth in output. The
simultaneous peaking of crops and livestock comes against a backdrop of
a growing population, which is expected to reach nine billion by 2050,
requiring the world to produce twice as much food by then as it does
now, according to a separate study by the California Academy of
Sciences. The problems caused by the growing population have been
compounded by the growth of wealthy middle-class populations in
countries such as China and India which are demanding a meatier diet.
This is problematic because meat and dairy use up a lot more resources
than if a comparable level of nutrition were provided by crops, grown
direct for human consumption. "That trajectory [of needing to double
food production] is not a given but more of a warning. It means we have
to change how we eat and use food,"
said Jonathan Foley, the director of the California Academy of
Sciences. While the peak production study suggests a doubling of food
output could well be impossible, Dr Foley points out that, since 30 to
40 per cent of the food grown globally for human consumption never gets
eaten, eliminating waste would go a long way to feeding the growing
population.
Among the basic foodstuffs examined, only the relatively undeveloped
farmed fish - or aquaculture - industry has yet to reach peak
production.
- The Independent
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