‘Feeding 9 billion people’: global food security debates and the productionist trap

Fouilleux, Eve; Bricas, Nicolas; Alpha, Arlène

doi:10.1080/13501763.2017.1334084

Cited by 100 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Around the world, poverty is associated with a multitude of risk factors for deleterious health outcomes such as: unemployment or insecure employment; homelessness and mental illness; drug use and violence; poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water; poor housing and dangerous living conditions; poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles; greater urbanization and unregulated industrialization; lower levels and poor quality of education; lower health awareness and lack of healthcare access. Poverty is strongly linked with the emergence and spread of existing and emerging infectious diseases [9][10][11][12][13][15][16][17][18].…”

Section: The Three Ps: Global Health Determinantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, it should reflect a dynamic state within and among countries where harm can be reduced during pandemics such as COVID-19. In addition, we believe that preparedness is deeply intertwined with the other "Ps" [15][16][17][18][19][20]. For example, let us consider a large group of people living close together (i.e., high population density) in a slum in a large city in a developing country.…”

Section: Preparedness and Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ebola, Zika, Corona…What Is Next for Our World?

Khubchandani

Jordan

Yang

2020

IJERPH

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In the past century, there have been several pandemics. Within the context of global health, these pandemics have often been viewed from the lens of determinants such as population, poverty, and pollution. With an ever-changing world and the COVID-19 pandemic, the current global determinants of public health need to be expanded. In this editorial, we explore and redefine the major determinants of global public health to prevent future pandemics. Policymakers and global leaders should keep at heart the determinants suggested hereby in any planning, implementation, and evaluation of efforts to improve global public health and prevent pandemics.

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Section: The Three Ps: Global Health Determinantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Preparedness and Productsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ebola, Zika, Corona…What Is Next for Our World?

Khubchandani

Jordan

Yang

2020

IJERPH

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“…However, other authors have stated that although SI is a step in the right direction, it mainly conforms to the current neoliberal agricultural model (Guéneau, 2018), and AE cannot co-exist alongside the aggressive expansion of industrial agriculture, genetically modified organisms and agrofuels (Altieri et al, 2017). According to Fouilleux et al (2017), it is not necessary to endorse productionist agricultural models to feed the world's population. Agroecology would thus not need to be combined with any other approaches (Altieri et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review: Make ruminants green again – how can sustainable intensification and agroecology converge for a better future?

Dumont

Groot

Tichit

2018

Animal

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Livestock farming systems provide multiple benefits to humans: protein-rich diets that contribute to food security, employment and rural economies, capital stock and draught power in many developing countries and cultural landscape all around the world. Despite these positive contributions to society, livestock is also the centre of many controversies as regards to its environmental impacts, animal welfare and health outcomes related to excessive meat consumption. Here, we review the potentials of sustainable intensification (SI) and agroecology (AE) in the design of sustainable ruminant farming systems. We analyse the two frameworks in a historical perspective and show that they are underpinned by different values and worldviews about food consumption patterns, the role of technology and our relationship with nature. Proponents of SI see the increase in animal protein demand as inevitable and therefore aim at increasing production from existing farmland to limit further encroachment into remaining natural ecosystems. Sustainable intensification can thus be seen as an efficiency-oriented framework that benefits from all forms of technological development. Proponents of AE appear more open to dietary shifts towards less animal protein consumption to rebalance the whole food system. Agroecology promotes system redesign, benefits from functional diversity and aims at providing regulating and cultural services. We analyse the main criticisms of the two frameworks: Is SI sustainable? How much can AE contribute to feeding the world? Indeed, in SI, social justice has long lacked attention notably with respect to resource allocation within and between generations. It is only recently that some of its proponents have indicated that there is room to include more diversified systems and food-system transformation perspectives and to build socially fair governance systems. As no space is available for agricultural land expansion in many areas, agroecological approaches that emphasise the importance of local production should also focus more on yield increases from agricultural land. Our view is that new technologies and strict certifications offer opportunities for scaling-up agroecological systems. We stress that the key issue for making digital science part of the agroecological transition is that it remains at a low cost and is thus accessible to smallholder farmers. We conclude that SI and AE could converge for a better future by adopting transformative approaches in the search for ecologically benign, socially fair and economically viable ruminant farming systems.Keywords: ecosystem services, efficiency, food systems, redesign, sustainability ImplicationsThere are different futures for ruminant farming systems as regards to production scenarios, climate mitigation measures and food consumption trends. Sustainable intensification (SI) and agroecology (AE) are two frameworks that aim to design more sustainable systems. Here, we analyse them in a historical perspective and discuss how they have been applied to temperate a...

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“…In contrast, the first world conference on sustainable development in 1992 (Earth Summit, Rio 1992) clearly put priority on the environment (Saurin, ). Interestingly, fighting poverty (SDG1), hunger (SDG2) and poor health (SDG3) now come as the first goals while all sources (see the comprehensive reviews by FAO, ; Harari, ; Nelson et al, ; Rosling et al, ) converge upon the following facts: over the last 50 years, humanity has managed to significantly reduce poverty, hunger and poor health worldwide, notably through wiser water use and management; the world's cultivated area has grown only by 12%; the global irrigated area has doubled over the same period; meanwhile, agricultural production has grown between 2.5 and 3 times, thanks to significant increase in the yield of major food crops (FAO, ); globally, enough calories are produced to meet humanity's needs, now and in 2050 (although certain vulnerable populations and areas still lack access to food) (Paillard et al, ; Fouilleux et al, ; Nelson et al, ; Grafton et al ., ); Caron et al . () remind us that the 2008 food crisis, marked by the spike in food prices in many developing countries, leading to riots and political instability, was not generated by a global lack of food.…”

Section: Water and The Environment: Renewed Political Agendas And Conmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This mantra, widely adopted in the irrigation sector, typically revolves around the staggering demographic figure of 9 billion to feed by 2050. Such an idea is wrong, at least until 2050 (Fouilleux et al, ; Nelson et al, ; Grafton et al ., ); globally, humanity faces and will face food quality issues rather than food quantity ones. In developing countries, food insecurity is above all about nutrient deficiency, not about the lack of available calories.…”

Section: Water and The Environment: Renewed Political Agendas And Conmentioning

confidence: 99%

Irrigation and the Environmental Tragedy: Pathways Towards Sustainability in Agricultural Water Use

Perret

Payen²

2020

Irrigation and Drainage

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Global environmental degradation, and the diverse and intense interactions between irrigation and the environment, are prompting the sector to play a more active role towards sustainability. This paper builds on ICID's 2030 vision on a more sustainable irrigation sector. It recaps the various environmental impacts of irrigation systems and calls for a threefold paradigm shift: the objectives of irrigation, its practices, and the ways to assess its impacts must evolve. The paper critically analyses the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs') framework, which provides a prompting set of orientations, yet with little consideration of the systemic nature of irrigation. The paper promotes more operational frameworks: nexus thinking and the ecosystem services' framework, since both allow for systemic approaches, and for developing trade-offs. The paper also discusses the merits of life cycle analysis (LCA) for environmental impact assessment. The benefits gained through these alternative approaches are illustrated in two cases of environmental impacts: return flow and salinization. Finally, the paper suggests combining these approaches with three principles for fostering a true paradigm shift in agricultural water use: developing and using suitable metrics, combining models to reconnect economic concerns with environmental ones, and considering larger territories and ecosystems to cater for interactions with the environment. RÉSUMÉLa dégradation de l'environnement, les interactions diverses et intenses entre irrigation et environnement, forcent le secteur à jouer un rôle plus actif vers la durabilité. Cet article s'appuie sur la vision 2030 formulée par la CIID sur la durabilité du secteur de l'irrigation. Il récapitule les divers impacts des systèmes irrigués, et appelle à un véritable changement de paradigme, en trois volets: les objectifs de l'usage agricole de l'eau, ses pratiques, et les façons d'en évaluer les impacts doivent évoluer. L'article analyse d'abord le cadre des objectifs de développement durable (ODD), qui fournit des orientations engageantes, mais avec peu de considérations du caractère systémique de l'usage agricole de l'eau et de ses impacts. L'article promeut des cadres d'analyse alternatifs et plus opératoires: le raisonnement en nexus et les services écosystémiques, car tous deux permettent une approche plus systémique, et de penser les compromis. L'article discute également des bénéfices de l'analyse en cycle de vie (ACV) pour l'évaluation des impacts environnementaux. Les mérites de ces approches sont illustrés par deux cas d'impacts environnementaux: le débit de retour et la salinisation. En conclusion, l'article suggère d'associer ces approches avec trois principes, pour accompagner un vrai changement de paradigme dans l'usage agricole de l'eau: développer et utiliser des métriques adaptés, combiner modèles et approches pour réconcilier les préoccupations économiques et environnementales, et considérer plus largement les territoires et écosystèmes de l'eau pour mieux intégrer les interactions ...

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‘Feeding 9 billion people’: global food security debates and the productionist trap

Cited by 100 publications

References 46 publications

Ebola, Zika, Corona…What Is Next for Our World?

Ebola, Zika, Corona…What Is Next for Our World?

Review: Make ruminants green again – how can sustainable intensification and agroecology converge for a better future?

Irrigation and the Environmental Tragedy: Pathways Towards Sustainability in Agricultural Water Use

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