Sustainably feeding 9 billion people?
Description
Global population growth, increasing demand for animal protein (meat), the increasing use of crops for bioenergy and climate change that is putting pressure on the usability of certain agricultural areas pose the question of how to sustainably feed the world's population in the coming decades. It is estimated that by 2015, when the world population is expected to reach its maximum of around 9 billion, total agricultural production will have to grow by 70% to produce enough for everyone. How can this be achieved?
First, we should note that currently production is large enough to provide enough food for everyone, but the distribution and purchasing power of many people prevents them from obtaining enough food. So global food security is certainly also a political problem of equitable distribution.
Yet production will also have to increase, especially if attempts are made to meet the growing demand for meat in emerging economies, especially China. In agricultural science and agribusiness circles, reference is made to the need for ongoing industrialisation of agriculture and corresponding rationalisation and technical innovations in production, including genetic modification of crops and animals. However, this model can be seriously questioned; how sustainable is it especially in ecological (agricultural ) terms, but in the short and medium term also in social terms.
It will be argued that another model, agroecology, which is particularly popular in so-called developing countries, can serve global food security in a more sustainable and equitable manner. The characteristics of that model will be briefly discussed.
What responsibilities does this issue place on the various actors involved, including the government and the scientific (press) community?
Speaker(s)
Henk Jochemsen (1952) studied Molecular Biology at the Agricultural University of Wageningen and subsequently obtained his PhD in this field from Leiden University in 1979.
After working as a staff member of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students working in Paraguay, he was director of the Prof Dr G. A. Lindeboom Institute from 1987-2009. From 1998 until the end of 2009, he was extraordinary professor of medical ethics at the Lindeboom Chair in Medical Ethics at the VU Medical Centre. In addition, he was part-time associate at the Institute for Cultural Ethics and led several research projects. From 2008 - 2014, he was a member of the Health Council's Consultative Group on Health Ethics and Law.
From mid-2008, he was extraordinary professor of Christian philosophy in Wageningen, and from early 2009 he was general director of Prisma, association of Christian organisations for development cooperation. He edited and contributed to, among others, "Toetsen en begrenzen. An ethical and political assessment of modern biotechnology". He has also published many articles in journals and chapters in books and brochures.
Location
Utrecht
Organiser
Philosophy & Technology
Name and contact details for information
Further information from drs.ing. Henk Uijttenhout (vz), tel: 070 - 3875293 / 06 - 26715554 or via the e-mail address below.