Global Food Crisis: Moving Up the Evolutionary Chain

Can people and nations move up the evolutionary chain to collaborate together for a better world, asks environmental/conservation activist Linda Shaw? And if not, what will be the cut off point where our common humanity kicks us into action?

“We already accept that 30,000 children die daily from poverty and malnutrition globally. How big must that figure go before we say enough?

“Unless we change our food production ways globally we will have no reserves if a serious ecological disaster hits key food bowl areas. We are already witnessing food riots in Haiti, Bangladesh and Mexico. Hungry people are angry people and food scarcity will fuel unrest and civil war.”

Changing climatic conditions and replacing food staples such as wheat, corn and rice with biofuel crops are already causing food shortages.

“It’s what we do now in response to these pressing issues that will determine our collective future,” says Linda Shaw.

Peering 10 years into this country’s future, Linda believes we could see:

• Land areas with best soil and growing conditions specially zoned and kept free of housing, industries and roads
• Obesity, diabetes and heart disease incidence plummeting as people change what they eat
• Significant numbers of dairy farms converted to vegetable production as dairying becomes unsustainable long term
• Horticulture becoming a sexy study topic again – polytechnics will reinstate horticulture courses as a priority
• Food technology research will shift from intensive and wasteful processed food production to finding new natural protein sources to replace reliance on meat proteins
• New Zealand will be one of the few countries to retain its GE-free status – while the rest of the world experiments disastrously
• Fruit trees will be grown in public parks to provide food for residents, as well as bird and insect life. This concept is already in the planning stages with Transition Towns Waiheke Island
• Sustainable community gardens will be prevalent where people can work in return for food and learn gardening skills. The Project Port Lyttleton Community Gardens is already an example
• Retired and semi retired people creating business by cooking and gardening for busy workers
• Farming with chemical inputs replaced with permaculture and organic techniques that use new methods and products that work with nature, like nature
• Vegetarian cooking classes will be over subscribed as people seek to find cost effective nutritional alternatives
• The government sets aside much larger funds for food research – to ensure we are optimising our own resources to feed ourselves, then to provide our excess to the world. NZ could become a world leader helping other countries cope with food shortages through new technologies
• Food industry changes – will include exclusive exotic foods being replaced by lean green cuisine; upcoming chefs will work within an environmental ethics framework
• Government will review food preparation and hygiene standards as local food stalls providing fresh tasty food become the norm as in Asian countries
• Education centres teaching free gardening and cooking classes to children and adults - this is already being offered by North Tech in Northland
• New businesses centred on food production will emerge that consider resources and energy as part of its production processes
• Gold winners at flower shows will be for edible not decorative gardens
• International trade will become based on trading food for life essentials that we can’t create ourselves as a nation
• Globalisation of food production replaced by relocalisation of produce where people accept that seasonal eating is better for the planet, rather than expect year round produce from other countries

“The idea that things will change often scares people,” says Linda. “They think that a change in their current food habits means a lesser quality of life. I see this as an opportunity for us to become abundant in a whole new way.

“We will have a very different relationship with food in the future. We will be much more engaged and aware of the preciousness of food, of where it comes from, who prepares it and how important it is to sustain life.”

Like to interview Linda: a woman who has swapped a corporate career in order to concentrate on her environmental/conservation work?

Would you like to interview Linda? Need more information or a photo? Please contact Kimberley Paterson at Soul PR on 09 4244218 or kimberley@soulpr.com