Feeding the Growing World One Small Farm At a Time

By Courtney Lowery, 6-30-09

“How else would we feed the world?” is an easy defense for keeping the status quo of the commodity-led American agribusiness system. It’s also a good way to encourage genetically-modified crops in the U.S.

But, according to a new study from the climate change research division of Deutsche Bank, increasing commodity crops, GMO crops and irrigation alone aren’t going to feed our growing planet.

The report does highlight the need for increasing acres in cultivation and yes, it recommends GMO technology and investing in better irrigation systems, but it also recommends at least considering a return to small, diversified, local farming.

From Mark Fulton, Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research, in his editorial letter in the report:

What is emerging is a gap between demand and supply of agricultural production. This production gap can be met by increasing productivity (yield) and bringing more land into production (extensification). Meeting this challenge will require increased irrigation, mechanization and fertilization – and that will create more investment opportunities as well as the need for education and sound government policy. Rising prices of agricultural commodities will spur investment. However, irrigation uses water, fertilizer production creates greenhouse gases, and mechanization can increase emissions. What is required is highly sophisticated land management with precision irrigation and fertilization methods. On top of this, more marginal and degraded land will have to be brought into use. Hence, we are looking for a dramatic improvement in the productivity of farming inputs.

To feed and fuel 9 billion people, subject to the above mentioned constraints, farmers, markets and governments will look at a whole host of options. Alternative approaches are being researched and tested in development such as the reemergence of small, self-sufficient organic farms, characterized as, local, multi-crop, energy and water efficient, low-carbon, socially just, and self-sustaining.

Hat-tip to the New York Times’ Green Inc. blog.

Click here to read the full report (PDF).