Finding the middle ground: social–ecological farming as a solution to a polarized debate

Summary

Our global food system has two opposing faces. It has almost one billion people suffering from hunger, while nearly the same number suffers from obesity. This is also a world where people struggle daily to obtain enough food, and where people waste more than that same amount every day. Global warming and extreme weather events are expected to increase the volatility of ecosystems and thereby stunt the productivity of agriculture. One recent study estimates that even a 1°C increase in global temperature will reduce wheat yields worldwide by six percent.1 The question of how to secure global food production is thus as pertinent as ever. Yet, the proposed solutions are often contradictory, creating a polarized debate represented by stark trade-offs.

Information

Link to centre authors: Haider, Jamila
Publication info: Haider, J., Boonstra, W. 2017. Finding the middle ground: social–ecological farming as a solution to a polarized debate. Solutions, Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2017

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