Introducing the theme - Food Shortage

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En provenance du cours de Utrecht University

Unravelling solutions for Future Food problems

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Utrecht University

Unravelling solutions for Future Food problems

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Our society depends on the availability of food and accessibility to it. According to the United Nations nearly 800 million people are hungry and on the other hand, over 650 million people are obese. While many people in developing countries experience food shortage, in industrialized countries people are throwing food away. These facts show how paradoxical and complex the world’s food problem is. ln this course, more than 10 food researchers from Utrecht University will address the main issues of food consumption. They will handle two interrelated themes; Food shortage and Healthy choices. You will learn to identify the key ingredients of the world’s food challenges and to think about the solutions for enabling changes in the current food system. We will also look at the possible sustainable solutions for several accut issues: the demands of the growing human population, the role of nutrition, and the need to understand food choices in order to have healthier diet and consider the possibilities of alternative foods. We invite you to join us on an interdisciplinary journey through the world food problems. You will gain new knowledge and insights that will help you form your own opinion on these subjects and make better choices in your food consumption. We hope you will enjoy the course! The Future Food Team

À partir de la leçon

Introduction Future Food & Food Shortage Part I

Introducing the theme - Food Shortage3:51

Production limiting factors6:15

Vulnerability to famines5:15

Rencontrer les enseignants

Prof. dr. Denise de Ridder
Professor of Health Psychology
Psychology - Social, Health & Organizational Psychology
Prof. dr. Marca Wauben
Professor of Intercellular communication
Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Prof. dr. Rens Voesenek
Professor of Plant Ecophysiology
Biology

By 2050, there will be nine billion humans populating our planet.

Conservative estimates indicate that in order to feed this surging population,

we would need to grow 70% more food.

This already challenging task is made even

more daunting in the face of global climate change.

Variable weather patterns are wreaking havoc on food production.

Unpredictable severe weather events, like floods,

droughts, and heatwaves, have devastated crops worldwide.

Unsustainable farming practices have abused and stripped the soil of nutrients.

In the last 40 years,

the world has lost a third of its arable land.

A rising demand for meat and biofuel,

especially in developing countries,

is driving rapid deforestation.

Expansion of agricultural land into

our already dwindling forest has the huge risk of further exacerbating climate change.

Although, currently production rates are still increasing,

an exponential population increase means demand will soon exceed supply.

Against this background of

projected food shortages and extensive efforts to increase production,

there is paradoxically also a bounty problem.

The annual global food wastage,

as estimated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization,

is 1.3 billion tons.

Logistical difficulties and limited

shelf life are to blame for a majority of this wastage.

In this scenario of stark contrast where

perfectly good food is thrown away while millions starve,

we need to urgently reassess how we manage food production.

The goal of feeding nine billion people will require

improved food production via reduced yield gaps,

increased resource efficiency, and developing advanced crop varieties.

In addition, we will need to promote sensible food decisions and reduce

food wastage with a consideration towards preserving our environmental resources.

Otherwise, food security, especially for the world's poorest,

will be at great risk.

In this course, you will learn about a range of topics related

to future food divided into two main segments,

food shortage and sustainable solutions.

In the first week,

you will get a detailed insight into factors contributing to food shortage.

You will learn why and how extreme weather events,

such as drought, submergence,

extreme temperatures, negatively affect plants,

make them more vulnerable to disease,

and impact food production.

Food scarcity, however, does not necessarily

stem from insufficient production or crop failure.

A historical perspective of major famine events will reveal how

government policies and distribution problems were

often to blame for widespread food shortage and hunger.

During the Irish potato famine and several famines on the Indian subcontinent,

the countries involved were actually exporting food abroad.

It wasn't only food shortage,

but the lack of a political will to

efficiently distribute food that contributed to these famines.

Effective food distribution is still

a major problem plaguing efforts to end world hunger.

At the end of the first week,

you will gather information to conclude whether

the problem is a shortage of food or a distribution problem.

Good luck this first week.

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