By Bethanee Jensen July 10, 2015
There is a constant buzz about how farmers are going to have to feed 9 billion people in the near future. If some changes were made in the way our society deals with food, this could already be accomplished now.
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I have previously addressed waste, the products we grow and political manipulation and other issues that dealt with the reality of today. But what about 2050, when it is estimated that we will actually have 9 billion people to feed. There are a number of other limiting factors that come into play.
Concentration of Ownership: As farms and processing continue to get larger and ownership concentrates into the hands of fewer players, the risk increases. These businesses become vulnerable to market swings and takeovers, often by multinational companies. Consumers and governments then become pawns of the multinational corporations.
Loss of farmland to urban and other development: As BFO President Bob Gordanier pointed out, "Seven million acres of land used for agricultural production in 1965, now sit under housing and industrial developments." Governments are starting to address this issue, but will it be a case of too little, too late? We cannot continue at our current pace of paving over farmland and expect to feed the people living there.
Unsustainable Practices causing Soil Degradation and Soil Loss: It is said that we know more about outer space than we do about the soil beneath our feet. Scientists and others are speaking out about the unsustainable way we are treating our soils, but the number of listeners is growing very slowly. They are still considered "out in left field". I was at three information sessions this winter, including Soilsmart, Innovative Farmers and our own local Brussels Agri-Services Information Night. The speakers at all three events promoted the advantages of no-till, cover crop use and biodiversity of crops and livestock. Yet when I traveled around the countryside this spring, 95% of the fields were plowed up. We have heard for years that windbreaks prevent the erosion of top soil, yet fencerows are still being torn out, so that bigger equipment can be used. In addition, pollution from industrial activity, nuclear fallout, waste disposal and the use of chemicals has resulted in our soils being contaminated around the world.
Water shortage: Lack of clean water is going to be a major issue. The largest aquifer in the US has been almost totally depleted. In China, some rivers are so contaminated they will not longer support life and are toxic even to touch. Quebec has found neonics in five of its major rivers. We are starting to try to protect and improve the water quality in our Great Lakes, but there continues to be more finger-pointing than action.
Will we be able to feed 9 billion people when we need to? Will there ever be 9 billion people to feed? Or are we, as paleontologist Dr. Phil Currie wonders, "setting ourselves up for extinction?" ______________________________________________________________________________________ Bethanee Jensen is on the Board of Directors for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston. It is also archived on the CFFO website: www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,000 family farmers across Ontario.
