How to feed a growing population, meet climate goals and reduce poverty
By Afton Halloran, Head of Nominations, Food Planet Prize
2021-05-18
1 minute read
Is it possible to adequately feed nearly 10 billion people by the year 2050 while also combatting poverty, meeting climate goals, and reducing pressures on the environment? This is the fundamental question addressed in a May 2019 report produced by the World Resources Institute (WRI). The report was published in partnership with the World Bank and the UN Environment and Development Programmes, among others.
The publication offers a five-course menu of solutions, including proposals to:
- Reduce food loss and waste, avoid further expansion of biofuel production and shift meat-heavy diets toward plant-based foods. The latter is especially important in parts of the world where the Western diet – high in refined carbohydrates, added sugars, fats, and animal-based foods – is taking hold.
- Use natural resources more efficiently to improve crop yields and increase animal productivity relative to the amount of land and chemical additives required.
- Slow population growth through education and providing access to reproductive health services.
Read the world resources report on creating a sustainable food future