We take our supermarkets completely for granted. Food just magically appears on the shelves week after week after week. But is that really what happens? And will it last?
Today, as Asian growth is just getting into its stride, world food production is already under pressure. Food prices are rising rapidly and, although it is nothing but an annoyance to us, it has a massive impact on poor people who spend the majority of their income on food. Close to half the world's population survives on less than $2 a day. Compare that to your daily food intake to get some perspective.
Grains provide half of the world's caloric intake, but yet, we currently feed a third of our grains to livestock and use a sixth of it for biofuels. Global food demand will triple by 2050, Chinese meat consumption is doubling every seven years and biofuels might be our only hope when peak oil hits. Oh, and then there are of course the potentially disasterous effects of climate change on agricultural output…
Eating and living sustainably saves lives. And your own health, which is a decent bonus...
