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Becoming too big that we forget how much was accomplished when we were small

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Becoming too big that we forget how much was accomplished when we were small

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This past weeks' literature and YouTube videos are incredibly fascinating and the topic of increasing the effectiveness of food systems is something that I gave considerable thought towards while attending Camosun College on Vancouver Island. Reading everyone else's comments has also been very insightful and I agree with many opinions expressed by my classmates.

My personal opinion on achieving zero hunger by 2030 is that this objective is unattainable for the  point made by Rubens, Neoliberalism simply will not allow it. There is profit to be made in good times and there is profit to be made in harsh times because currency and greed are emotionless. The COVID-19 pandemic presents an excellent case study for this statement. The corona-virus outbreak has resulted in the rising stock prices for bio-tech and pharmaceutical companies, the hoarding of essential goods and an opportunity for profiteering, leaving society's most vulnerable at risk for infection and possible malnutrition.

From observation,  tackling world hunger is seen as a global issue that requires a global solution with heavy investment, taxation and subsidies, efficient international distribution chains, and advanced agricultural technology. This perspective stresses the top-down approach where it's the West (Europe, North America, Commonwealth Countries) that will provide the required change that is needed in developing countries and elsewhere to ensure food production and distribution. Perhaps this is true and all the above will come to fruition, or another option could meet this proposal half-way.

Long before Monsanto GMOs, Air-express and massive cargo ships sailing across oceans, before the metropolis became a hub of economic activity that required the outlying rural areas to provide the necessary sustenance, the structure of the small farming community was prevalent. Small scale agriculture and local knowledge was enough to provide an abundance of food before the seduction of large cities lured rural folks into urban areas where families do not have the growing space necessary to sustain themselves.

Living in the Greater Victoria Area and Sooke, I was able: to grow a garden; maintain a greenhouse; raise chickens and ducks for their eggs; harvest fruits off apple trees and plum trees; to trade labor, within the community of like minded residents, for money, meat, milk, cheese and honey; and at times I received gifts from other urban farms. I will be the first to acknowledge that I was and still am in a place of privilege to have been able to do such things while having a roof over my head and living in Canada, I refer to these times to provide examples of Amartya Sens three food entitlements: direct, indirect and transfer, in order to build an argument for using these concepts along with portfolio theory to provide small communities within developing countries the opportunity to become food self-sufficient. By growing their own food, the community has achieved the first entitlement; by working for wages the community achieves the second; and, the transfer entitlement, a community-minded approach ensures that no one goes without e.g. how Indigenous societies in Canada shared their food stores with other community members during the winter months. By diversifying entitlements, communities are not affected by unsystematic risk, nor are they at risk of being bypassed in a global food distribution system when global emergencies arise e.g. labour shortages and panicked buying due to COVID-19. Currently, many communities around the world are faced with systematic risk where a single crop that they have come to rely on is at the mercy of global stock markets, foreign government agriculture subsidies and tariffs e.g. cotton in the U.S. vs cotton in Africa. Further diversification is needed when growing the community garden; rather than rural communities specializing on one crop to supply the needs urban centers, rural communities can focus their efforts on supplying their own needs when a cash crop fails and there is no money to purchase other food products, thereby decreasing the vulnerability of their system. This approach of diversifying the crops allows for increased "wealth" of the ecological system. As Fraser et. al (2005) describe "rich biomass, high nutrient loads, and productive plant growth" are all indicators of ecological wealth.  In Esther Ndichu's TedTalk she speaks of corn/ maize crops; these crops are incredibly hard on the land as this plant depletes the soil of nitrogen allowing for increased vulnerability towards crop failure should the soil not be replenished by fertilizers. Instead of fertilizer, diversifying the crop that is planted will allow for nitrogen replacement e.g. legumes such as peas and beans are known for their ability to capture atmospheric nitrogen and release it into the surrounding soil through its roots.

All this is easily typed than it is put into action. For the community-minded approach to take affect, a societal transformation would have to take place in order for this shift to occur. Meeting half-way on the global issue will require developing nations to utilize the support of more advanced nations and the four recommendations by Evan Fraser in Feeding 9 Billion:  relying on science and technology,  increased efficiency of distribution systems, supporting local food systems, and implementing stronger regulations towards agricultural. This must be done in a collaborative manner, rather than the donating nation dictating which crops to grow in order to supply world demand. Not all communities may be capable of attaining all three entitlements at once and others may not go this route at all while some would prefer to return to a community approach that focuses on the needs of those in the surrounding area rather than servicing the needs of large urban centers.
Diversifying the garden portfolio and creating policies that allow for rural areas to focus on "robust agro-ecosystems" (Fraser, 2007)will aid in reducing the communities vulnerability to market shocks and environmental disturbances.
I believe part of the hunger issue is the anonymity of those that are hungry. Community is about knowing your neighbor on a human level rather than being another anonymous somebody in the apartment. Knowing your neighbors name and them knowing yours goes along way in wanting to take care of one another, especially in times of hardship.
- Levi

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Multiple Stressors Surrounding the Most Vulnerable Nations

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Multiple Stressors Surrounding the Most Vulnerable Nations

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Originally, my thoughts on ending world hunger by 2030 was around the potential for developed countries to adapt diets to become more sustainable, such as eating minimal red meat, and focusing majority of our diet on locally produced items. Although this would have beneficial effects to the system, it would not solve the issue. As such, after looking at the Food Security Index rankings and identifying that the ranking of food security is clustered in geographic regions, I altered my focus of the issue to the lowest ranked countries, which consisted almost entirely of Sub-Saharan Africa. Developed countries have the means to adapt to adverse events but it is very clear from Dr. Fraser's article regarding the famine in Ethiopia, Esther Ndichu Ted Talk and the data on the Food Security index, citizens of sub-Saharan African countries are plagued by multiple stressors to their livelihoods which causes their ability to adapt to food security issues minimal.

Low GDP, corruption, little infrastructure and no food safety net programs were the main reasons around the low rankings of these countries. So my thoughts on solutions were by creating a continent- level program for food security where farmers are able to sell their produce to the program regardless of the current economic value, would go a long way to provide aid for the most vulnerable. Alternatively, providing free access to the research and development other countries have done around agricultural development  could prove beneficial to this region of Africa. Although many countries are further developed and have access to infrastructure likely not economically available to these areas, some of the same principles could still be applied. Innovation and a greater capacity of adaption can prevail by training local experts around these concepts and having them spread the ideas to others in their communities and social networks. Unfortunately, the nations most vulnerable to food security issues also have the highest population growth rates. Thus, assistance to improve the adaptive capacity for these countries now could provide cascading effects into the future.

-Paula

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Fraser's article
"A framework for assessing the vulnerability of food systems to future shocks" explains that wealth in a socio-economic system is different from that of an ecological system, partly because as a socio-economic system advances, it becomes centralized and more connected, this is  portrayed by the western world's agricultural systems. The principle of profit-maximization helps ensure that the least costly method of production is employed in agriculture. The goal of economic growth promotes financial subsidies and the cultivation of profitable crops, meaning that the foundation of many international food trade networks is profit not subsistence. In order to feed 9 billion people we must understand how such a principle influences the hierarchy of entitlements. To encourage more diverse food networks, proactive policies have to be put in place to ensure varied trading relationships and the protection of local crops from price shocks. The capacity to make one's own food which is known as a direct entitlement has to be prioritized above indirect entitlements of having to buy food. A varied approach which includes advanced agricultural technology, trade networks and local farming will help ensure a diverse and wealthy global food network which will have the capacity to feed 9 billion people.

-Fikayo Sipe

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Delicate Balance with an emphasis on good governance

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Delicate Balance with an emphasis on good governance

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Tackling world hunger must involve a number of steps to address the current systems in place that are challenging equitable policies focused on abolishing inequality, poverty, and hunger. It is systems of weak governance that constantly fail to provide for vulnerable populations. In order to achieve a goal of eliminating world hunger by 2030, world states will have to involve practices of good governance. Through systems of good governance which drives policy and legislation towards adaptive processes, solutions that would eliminate the mechanisms that increase mass levels of hunger could then be provided. Governance that is focused on equity can incorporate deeper, more robust knowledge systems while having the ability to adapt to future crisis that threaten an agricultural system’s capability to provide efficient sustenance for everyone. However, in order to provide knowledge systems that drive policy towards concrete solutions, identifying and describing what the vulnerabilities are is necessary. Using the Panarchy framework, identifiable variables help to uncover vulnerabilities in a system, thus providing deeper understandings of pitfalls and short comings as well as descriptors and characteristics of vulnerable populations. It will be the collective willingness to establish good governance as well as creating methods of establishing larger knowledge systems that will lead to better forms of government, which then will lead to better methods of tackling world hunger. It is through knowledge and the willingness to co-operate that a cascade of positive effects will occur in insecure food systems. I stress good governance as being part of the solution to world hunger; however, I should state that good governance is not uniform, i.e., desires and needs of political structures will vary from place to place. This is important when so often in international development theory, development strategies have historically inculcated colonial tendencies, when non-local power structures impose their strategies of coping with hunger.

Improving governmental institutions and a legislative abilities is not the single silver bullet; it is only a portion of the solution. Increasing governmental capacity to address hunger does nothing if agro-ecosystems are not robust and diverse. Increases in food production and availability allows for a flow of food into local markets. Livelihoods increase, local knowledge of food resources becomes more widespread, and most importantly, sufficient quantities of food can be evenly distributed.

The entire process of solving world hunger is a delicate balance of keeping all sides intact. If a country’s political structures fail to adhere to keeping equitable policies in place that keep people fed or keep production lines flowing, then a robust and diverse agro-ecosystem will fail a large portion of society. It is also true of the reverse: if country cannot achieve a robust and diverse agro-ecosystem, then good governance will need to find solutions elsewhere, resulting in a possible colonial relationship.

Garfield

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From this power point and reading, it is quite difficult to eliminate hunger around the world. The reason for the hunger that is occurring all over the world is not only due to lack of food, but also because of logistics problems. Therefore, simply thinking about expanding agricultural production does not solve the fundamental problem. First, efforts to reduce food waste from production to consumption should be directed to 2030. We also need to aim for a society where food producers can benefit from technological development and increase their income. Extreme weather phenomena such as droughts and floods have caused extreme weather phenomena such as droughts and floods, which have caused damage to crops and drastically reduced yields. Are not available to those in need. Therefore, there needs to be a mechanism for food to reach all parts of the world correctly. For this reason, by conducting research, such as research and analysis of supply and demand of crops and analysis of production fluctuation due to weather abnormalities, we can contribute to eliminating hunger.
There is not much we can do on our own, but it is important to review our satiety and over-consumption in order to reduce food shortages in developing countries. It is important to eat too much food, not to buy too much food, not to cook too much, and not to over order food.

Atsuki Nagashima

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In order for world hunger to end. Our global system has to be transformed as it is the major factor functioning as a hindrance rather than a benefactor. Neo liberalism as a world view can never achieve the goal of ending world hunger due to the fact that Neoliberalism and our current world view strives on profit and the market coming first, ending world hunger doesn't reap profit. When going further into how change can be acquired for such a major issue, a change in worldview would be required where other world views that encourages the global distribution of food and where international communities band together to transform global, national and local food system in need of reform.In a world where food insecurity and the wellness of the inhabitants are put first rather than a nations economic growth.

- Rubens Aina

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Equitable Distribution through economic incentives and disincentives

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Equitable Distribution through economic incentives and disincentives

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The fact that there is enough food to feed everyone on this planet is important. It highlights the problem of unequal distribution of food. Morality does not seem to deter people from over-consumption of food at the cost of other people starving. So, I think the solution is for economic incentives and fines to be put in place such that there is more equal distribution of food and the number of starving people can decrease. This can be done by taxing the rich for the food they buy. The taxes should be high enough to ensure that the rich do not buy food in excess. The poor should be given subsidies on food, but the price should not be set too low - to ensure that the poor too do not buy in excess. There should also be high fines on food waste to reduce waste. Creating new jobs will also be a solution to achieve zero hunger by 2030, so that people are able to afford food and do not starve. Local food production and consumption can be given economic incentives so that lesser energy and infrastructure is required for people to access food and this can help achieve zero hunger by 2030.

-Akanksha

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Combatting Alienation within our Food Systems

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Combatting Alienation within our Food Systems

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Reflecting on this week's literature and videos, I would posit that achieving zero hunger by 2030 will require two things: increasing small scale agriculture, and emphasizing education for youth about food. Small scale agriculture plays a major role in supplementing global food systems and chains (especially in crisis where these routes are disrupted), utilizing traditional ecological and local knowledge, and avoidance of mono-cropping (increasing biological diversity and contributing to adaptability within ecosystems and social systems).
Educating youth about food is also important, allowing for younger generations to understand food systems that will allow for innovative and different systems for the future. I envision the use of experiential learning as a tool (such as having youth making gardens) in which to bridge a gap of knowledge between food and nutrition, and how food from near and far impact our food systems in different ways.
These two foci, i hope that we will be able to feed 9 billion people and achieve zero hunger!

-Kate VD

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From my perspective, achieving zero hunger by 2030 is easier said than done. It requires a robust globally efficient model which simultaneously responds to community and regional food needs. The wealth , connectivity and diversity of communities and regions also speak to the global agro-ecological capacity to withstand a food crisis. Critical to achieving this SDG are: enhancement of storage mechanisms, distribution channels and production techniques through science and technology; increased global awareness of the consequences of food wastage; and better regulations, policies and investment to protect and improve local food systems from ongoing and future suburban sprawls. All of these will enable the level of better availability, use and access needed to fight hunger as the world prepares to feed a potential 9 billion people in the decades to come.

Nnamdi

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I think achieving zero hunger by 2030 will only be possible if there is a move away from the discourse/worldview of neoliberalism, infinite economic growth and mandatory profit. The heavy investment necessary for building infrastructure, R&D, and technology and innovation in agriculture and seed adaptability will only be possible if there is strong willpower from governments all over the world. And if there is an understanding that these interventions might not always be profitable but will save lives. This will definitely require partnership with the private sector (e.g. UPS' proprietary software mentioned in the video).

- Mobi

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The "Connectivity" of a system can both increase vulnerability to food shortage, but can also propose solutions to help in times of food shortages. Ultimately it is about balance and analysis of pathways. In the readings, Fraser articulates that "Connectivity" in system can exhilarate at threat. A strain on the system in one area can be felt across the board. Coupled with a lack of diversity in crop choice, such as a dependence on potatoes (1847 Ireland) or wheat (Canada's present day prairies), a system is vulnerable to collapse. Connectivity of a system increases wealth through trade, with more wealth comes more options in the recovery period in the event of a natural disaster or drought (climate change). So with a highly connected system, the adaptive capacity increases; yet, the more connected a system is the larger the impact of stimulus. To achieve zero hunger by 2030, governments need to promote connectivity, but in balance, watching the pathways and mitigating key points of vulnerability. Connectivity enables a community to bundle their entitlements, switching from direct entitlement of failed wheat crops to indirect entitlements gained through trade, or relying on transfer entitlements organized by a pragmatic government who are using their wealth wisely. As Esther said in the video, world hunger is a logistics problem, not a production problem. We need to be more connected, sharing resources, technology and solutions. Isolated communities who have high diversity of crops (such as a single hobby farm) might do very well for themselves, but if they don't have access to a grocery store and their little hobby farm crop fails, they might be going hungry.
- Rachelle

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I thought that Fraser et al.'s description of the Panarchy Framework was an interesting way to evaluate complex systems that provide food to the food network. In particular, their example of a wheat field was very interesting in demonstrating how monoculture is very dangerous in that it maintains low adaptability in severe cases of pest or drought. As well, the ecosystem can not depend on various other species in attempts to re-grow. While I was reading the Panarchy framework I thought that it was missing a point of various underlying political aspects. However, in Fraser, he provided a much more robust explanation of why food shortages were exasperated to point of disaster when environmental factors were also coupled with political factors. In that way I was able to get a much more holistic picture.
- Abby