We need a comprehensive code of conduct that ensures the long-term sustainability of the industry, while also protecting consumers in the event of future supply imbalances.
Bringing advanced technologies to the ancient practice of farming could help feed the world’s growing population, but it could also open the door for people looking to disrupt the global food system.
In the short term, the war is causing energy prices to soar and prompting fears of famine in some countries. In the long term, it could remake the modern global supply chain.
Food is a fundamental human right. But governments have left it to charities and food suppliers to step in after disasters. That has to change as climate change throws up greater stresses.
A farmer walks past cocoa pods growing on a tree on a cocoa farm in Ivory Coast.
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana produce almost two-thirds of the world’s cocoa, and face high rates of deforestation. But the cocoa industry could make changes to become more sustainable.
Large-scale droughts can have cascading impacts on food security. They can reduce yield, increase food prices, trigger changes in consumption and lead to unstable supply.
Soon robotic smart tractors will drive themselves through fields and will use data to plant the right seed in the right place and give each plant exactly the right amount of fertilizer, cutting down on energy, pollution and waste.
(Shutterstock)
It’s vital to look through a systems lens to understand how future food chains should interact and how risk should be managed. This is particularly critical as we confront a second wave of COVID-19.