If you are in agriculture, or have taken an ag class recently. You have probably heard of the year 2050 and the impacts that subject has over the industry. The general idea behind this is a goal for the ag industry to reach before we are outnumbered. To be able to supply for this type of population, there are several things that need to change. No, I don't have a fix all solution, but I do have suggestions for our industry. At this point suggestions need to become more, and solutions need to be found.
1. What is 2050?
2050 is the year that our world populations should, ideally, be around or above 9 million. This is significant because our industry is trying to find solutions to feel everyone. A job that isn't being fulfilled currently. Many solutions include increasing efficiency, and better practices. I will explain more in the following sections.
2. Is there a solution?
In short, not really. There is not a one change and fix this hypothetical problem. There needs to be a couple of changes that need to happen, both on the production and consumer side. Efficiency is something that is always in the minds of people who work with ag. But I feel like there should be more efficency within the processing and consumer portions. We throw away a lot of our food, just because it's not the reddest apple in the bunch. There are ways to break through to people about it being ok to keep food and try not to waste them. It is something that we as a society need to work on.
3. Production solutions
Efficiency is being repeated because it is so important. We are trying to fin new ways to grow crops, re use "waste", and raise livestock in the best way possible. This is very important for the Americans because we feed one third of the world, either through direct products or feed products. Someone needs to take the lead in this race to provide, and become more involved with world wide producers to be able to accomplish this large gap. To be able to supply we need to be able to work together, and be able to get enough food out in the market for everyone.
Overall, there are many hypothetical solutions to this issue. While efficiency is something that we strive for everyday, To be able to accomplish what we need to, we need too find creative solutions. Maybe even urban farming. An article that will be coming up in the month or so.
Thank you for reading.