Future Food Shortages
“As early as 2008, humanity had just thirty seven days’ worth of grain supply in reserve. It’s been said that the ancient Romans had a more generous buffer against famine. As a result of rising food prices, India, the Philippines and some other nations have now banned the export of certain types of rice. The Haitian government, which acted too late, fell in early 2008 as a result of food riots. Unless a solution is found, the situation is likely to become worse as the century progresses, because it is projected that by 2050 there will be 9 billion mouths to feed, as opposed to today’s 6.6 billion…
Fifty years ago, there were approximately 2.5 acres of arable land for every person on earth, and the leaky, wasteful, polluting agricultural practices that had remained unchanged for thousands of years were adequate. But by the middle of this century, there will be less than half an acre of arable land per head. Unless we find ways to use that land sustainably and creatively, humanity has no future.”
Tim Flannery – from his book Now or Never (2009)
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