The world is facing a critical food crisis, with stark statistics highlighting the urgent need for action. One in ten people globally are at risk of hunger, while an astonishing two billion individuals struggle with obesity or being overweight. To make matters worse, approximately one-third of all food produced goes to waste, and agriculture contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for about a third of the total. It's clear that our food systems are in dire need of a transformation to become healthier, more sustainable, and equitable. This is the core message of a special issue of The Lancet Planetary Health, published on November 3rd, coordinated by five members of Cornell's Food Systems and Global Change (FSGC) group, led by Professor Mario Herrero.
Professor Herrero emphasizes the importance of this special issue, stating, "It's a crucial step towards finding solutions for our food system's challenges. We must implement multiple strategies simultaneously to ensure a harmonious balance between environmental protection, human health, and just food systems."
The special issue stems from the work of the EAT-Lancet Commission, a global collaboration of experts from over 35 countries and six continents. Their second report, released on October 3rd, inspired the FSGC group to delve deeper into the topic. Daniel Mason-D'Croz, a senior research associate at Cornell, explains, "Earth's planetary boundaries are under immense pressure due to climate change, land use issues, and biodiversity loss. Food systems are at the heart of these crises, and we need comprehensive solutions."
Mason-D'Croz uses a water balloon analogy to illustrate the complexity: "If you push on one part, something else pops up. Transforming the food system is like trying to squeeze a water balloon without bursting it. We want to reduce emissions, land use, and water consumption, while also ensuring affordable access to healthy diets and fair wages for food producers. It's a delicate balance, requiring multiple, interconnected solutions."
One key finding is that adopting healthy diets, as recommended by EAT-Lancet, can have positive health and environmental impacts. However, Marina Sundiang, a postdoctoral associate in FSGC and lead author of one of the special issue's papers, cautions that increased consumption of fresh produce may lead to more food waste due to perishability. She suggests measures like frequent, smaller shopping trips for consumers, increased composting facilities in communities, and government investment in research to improve storage practices and healthier processed options.
The special issue offers recommendations for producers, consumers, and governments to improve food systems. For consumers, a healthy diet with moderate animal-sourced food and increased fruit and vegetable intake is advised. Producers are encouraged to increase productivity and circularity, recycling nutrients throughout the supply chain. Governments are urged to support scientific research and development to create new, resource-efficient varieties and management practices.
Thais Diniz Oliveira, a former postdoctoral associate in FSGC and now a sustainable development specialist with the UNDP, and Matthew Gibson, a postdoctoral associate in FSGC, also contributed to the special issue. Gibson, who started his PhD in environmental policy just after the first EAT-Lancet report, hopes this second report will inspire others to see the interconnectedness of social and ecological systems.
"My goal is to spark new collaborations between food systems research and policy. We've brought together top food system models and researchers worldwide, but there's still so much to uncover. The biggest question remains: how can we transform these systems at the required speed and scale? Time is of the essence."
Key contributors from other institutions include Wageningen University, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, University College London, the University of Purdue, and the International Food Policy Research Institute. This research was funded by the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the CGIAR Foresight Initiative, and donors supporting the individual modeling teams.
