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In the world were population is getting high, exerting a high pressure on land, climate and scarcity resources, humans well being in the future is uncertain. With the current human population of 7.6 Billion including 821 Million of humans who are hungry and undernourished today and a 2 Billion of people expected to join them by 2050 when the total world population will be as high as 9.8 Billion!
Sadly, with all that starving population around the world, still one third of our global food valued at $1 trillion gets wasted every year leaving us with a big question,
Then who wastes the food? How, when and which amount of food is being wasted? And specifically what type of food is typically wasted? Then what measures to take!
By 2050, 5 Billions of people are expected to live in cities exasperating the food supply, compromising food quality and accelerating a global food crisis. And how could we feed a mass population of approximately 10 Billion people sustainably if we are failing to feed the 821 million who are still hungry today?
To the question above the good news is that we can, global food production is incredibly efficient. The world’s farmers produce enough food to feed 1.5x the global population. That’s enough to feed 10 billion (we are at 7.6 billion currently). Despite that Some believe the solution lies in simply producing more food, a study recently published in the journal Bio-science suggests that overall food production will need to increase by anywhere from 25-70% between now and 2050.
But, if that was the case then the number of chronically undernourished and malnourished people in the world would have been falling instead of it rising with the fact that "food production has generally followed a positive growth trend even on a per capita basis" (Food And Agriculture Organization stated in a report). Therefore the pressing issue is not one of quantity but instead one of making the existing food supply accessible to more people especially the poor who need it most. And To paraphrase the novelist William Gibson, this means the future’s food is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.
Then the answer to the epic you can call it a solution but for us we call it a vision and this is it.
Normally a foodbank is a non-profit, charitable organization that distributes food to those who have difficulty purchasing enough to avoid hunger. But envision food banks that have extended functionality with again the features of the food banks that exist today and imagine if they existed as the usual financial banks but this time round;
providing standard storage systems to Farmers produce, Consumption ready food, raw food and farm food inputs such as seeds.
Giving Food loans in form of Consumption ready food, raw food and farm inputs to those who need it and they in return generate profits again in terms of food. This will increase food quantity and accessibility across the world.
People would then be able to save or store their food in these banks for future sustainace.
Let's observe this effect at a larger perspective and see the bigger picture that if at least one city or village has one Food bank operating as explained above where would be hunger? About food loss reduction, the Food and Agricultural Organization
estimates that in developing countries, up to 40 percent of total food produced can be lost before it even reaches the marketplace. As such, implementing methods of safely storing and transporting food is crucial for being able to continue to sustainably feed the global population. Though food and beverage manufacturers understand that they must reduce food waste to improve profitability and their environmental impact. Freezing preserves food for long periods of time, particularly as food can be frozen either directly at the source or once it has gone through processing. This flexibility to preserve perishable food at the source is crucial across the globe. For example, in developing countries it is estimated that up to 50 percent of root crops, fruits and vegetables are wasted due to improper transportation and storage.
Food preservation and Specified food transportation infrastructures could be the best way to achieve better results. why do you think goods like electricity, fuel and water are well distributed wholly even in undeveloped countries? it's because they have their own transportation routes and means and this is what the food supply needs, for example railways or even subways and electric trains preferably could be used to transfer food everywhere and accompanied by Cold chain supply and storage would provide a great impact on reducing food wastage. envision food put into transportation trucks or trains with inbuilt refrigeration systems and again put to refrigerated stores as first as it reaches destinations such as consumers, food banks and markets. According to the study carried out by the Australian Market Research, a 47 per cent reduction in household food waste for frozen products compared to fresh products was observed and this shows that implementing cold chains throughout food system is very effective and promising.
However consumers at household level need to revise their food Consumption behaviors i.e they should critically value food by buying only what they can eat, this helps them to save money and other resources. Elders would also pass on good food morals to young ones for example in our country Uganda we are told that when you waste food that food curses you! and lastly to accompany all is to mobilise political will to empower this vision by setting up the food Banks, contructing transportation routes and means, providing refrigeration systems or else support Organizations or people like us who want to turn this vision to reality.
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