5 Strategies for Doubling the Global Food Supply

In the next 40 years, the global population is projected to surge from 7 billion to over 9 billion people [source: Negative Population Growth]. A growing population means more mouths to feed, and to meet this challenge, we must expand the global food supply.

So why do we need to double food production if the population is only growing by about 28 percent? Keep in mind that hundreds of millions of people around the world go hungry daily. We already produce enough food to feed everyone, but hunger persists because many can’t afford it or lack the land to grow what they need [source: Hunger Notes]. To tackle hunger, we must not only produce more food but also ensure those in need have access to it and can afford it. The United Nations has called for a 70 percent increase in food production by 2050.

Producing more food doesn't always translate into more meals. Increased production accounts for food lost in transit, spoiled crops, and those that fail due to extreme weather conditions.

No single solution will resolve world hunger, but a combination of farming practices, shifts in the food system, and even changes in consumer behavior can make a significant impact.

5: Sustainable Agriculture

Recent research has highlighted the potential of sustainable farming techniques—such as organic and agroecological practices—to boost crop yields. Traditional, or "industrial" farming methods heavily depend on synthetic inputs like pesticides and fertilizers. While this approach may improve yields in the short term, it degrades soil quality and can result in the emergence of "superweeds"—weeds that are resistant to pesticides. Sustainable farming, on the other hand, emphasizes soil health and natural pest management over chemical interventions.

Rachel Shulman, the owner of River Run Farm in Illinois, shared her insights on organic farming and how both conventional and organic industrial farms could benefit from adopting small-scale organic farming practices to enhance yields. For instance, Shulman recommends using pesticides only when necessary, rather than as a preventive measure, as excessive pesticide use harms both soil and crops in the long run.

Shulman believes that prioritizing soil health is the key to boosting crop yields, and studies support this idea. For example, a study in Africa uses long-term climate data to predict soil moisture, helping farmers enhance their crop output. USDA chief meteorologist Ray Motha suggests that this approach could double food production in Africa within 10 years [source: George Mason University]. The U.N. has achieved similar success, reporting a 116 percent increase in crop yields among small-scale farmers in Africa using agroecological methods [source: Norström].

Organic farming has shown promising results in boosting yields. A study by the Worldwatch Institute analyzed long-term research on organic farming practices that prioritize soil health and discovered that organic farms produced yields comparable to conventional farms in affluent countries, and up to 20 percent higher yields in developing nations [source: Halwell].

Farmers in wealthier countries did experience a decline in yields when transitioning to organic farming methods [source: Halwell]. This drop is primarily due to the challenge sustainable farmers face: the soil requires time to recover from years of exposure to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers may struggle with reduced income during this recovery period.

4: Grow Different Crops, and Grow Them Differently

What we grow is just as crucial as how we grow it, and some researchers are exploring the use of more resilient crops and enhanced biodiversity as strategies to improve yields. Our industrial food system is built around monocropping, where the same crops are planted on the same land year after year. Monocropping reduces biodiversity, which over time harms yields. A large-scale 2009 study in China found that crop diversity increased production by 33.2 to 84.7 percent, compared to monocropping [source: Li].

Some experts propose shifting from annual crops to perennial ones. Unlike annuals like corn, which need to be replanted every year, perennials regrow naturally. As Shulman highlights, this resilience means perennials require less fertilizer and water. Additionally, these crops are better equipped to withstand environmental stressors, such as extreme heat. For instance, the drought of 2012 devastated corn crops, while perennial grains thrived in the same conditions.

The Land Institute, a research organization in Kansas, advocates for the adoption of perennial grains to boost yields, enhance weather resistance, use less water, and reduce soil erosion due to their deep root systems [source: Kunzig]. Perennial hybrids like wheat-wheatgrass are more durable, require less water, and can be processed into flour just like traditional annual wheat crops.

So why aren’t perennial crops and biodiversity more widely embraced in farming? Our agricultural system is deeply entrenched in monocropping. Farmers who have grown corn for decades might be resistant to diversifying or trying new crops. Some crops receive government subsidies while others do not. Additionally, there hasn’t been enough research on perennials to persuade farmers to make the switch [source: Kunzig].

3: Capitalize on Urban Farming

If we're going to feed 9 billion people, we need to grow food in more places. Urban farming takes advantage of unused and blighted urban areas to grow food. With more than half of the world population now living in urban areas, it makes sense to start growing food where more and more people are living [source: Southern Innovator].

In Cuba, for example, urban farming has transformed city areas, creating jobs, and producing most of the vegetables that the people in its cities consume [source: Southern Innovator]. Cities like Havana saw an explosion in urban farming in the '90s, when the collapse of the Soviet Union made fuel prohibitively expensive. People in Havana had to stop relying on food from far-off farms and growing food in the city where they lived. Today, urban farmers cultivate almost 90,000 acres (35,000 hectares) of vegetables in Havana alone [source: Koont].

In the U.S., Detroit is seeing an urban farming renaissance. As the city's economy has declined, there have been more and more vacant lots and abandoned properties. Detroit urbanites are transforming those blighted areas into thriving city farms to feed themselves and poor people in the city [source: McIntire-Strasburg].

Not all cities have huge expanses of vacant land, and that's where vertical farming comes in. Vertical farming refers to growing food on rooftops and even on walls, using vertical space to grow more food with less acreage. In Vancouver, Alterrus Systems is converting a parking garage into a lettuce farm, for example [source: Fong].

Urban farming is often small-scale, so it can help us produce more food, but needs massive buy-in from city-dwellers to make a larger impact. Not all cities make urban farming easy, either. In Drummond, Quebec, a new ordnance decrees that only 30 percent of a garden can be given over to vegetables [source: Grist].

2: Reduce Food Waste

The U.S. wastes 40 percent of the food produced, through factors such as crop spoilage, storage spoilage and consumers throwing out food that has gone bad [source: McIntire-Strasburg]. If we can cut that number down, it's the same as increasing yields.

Our food system is not always efficient. India's 2012 grain shortage is a prime example. In the summer of 2012, almost non-existent distribution, grain subsidies and lack of proper storage meant that grains rotted in the field while poor families in India starved [source: Bhardwaj]. The developing world isn't the only place where systemic problems mean wasted food. A shortage of apple pickers in the fall of 2012 meant that apples rotted on the vine in Washington state [source: King].

On the industrial agricultural level, the U.S. is making baby steps -- in one case, baby carrot steps to reduce waste. Those convenient baby carrots that are so good dipped in hummus are not actually young carrots but irregular carrots: ones that don't meet the high aesthetic standards at the grocery store. Producers reshape them into smaller, bite-sized carrots so that those veggies don't go to waste [source: Gunders]. Ugly produce is often just as safe to eat as pretty produce, but grocers won't stock ugly veggies for fear that consumers won't buy them.

Some companies, like Stop and Shop, are also learning that reducing food waste means saving money. By looking at what perishable foods their stores were wasting, Stop and Shop has saved $100 million per year [source: Gunders].

Educational programs can play a key role in reducing food waste on the consumer side. The U.K.'s Love Food Hate Waste initiative helps consumers learn how to minimize food waste at home. Simple actions like meal planning, using leftovers, and proper food storage can significantly cut down on waste. Food Republic provides a helpful infographic on how to store various types of food in the refrigerator to prolong their freshness.

1: Cut the Meat

Raising livestock is an incredibly inefficient process, whether for meat, eggs, or dairy products. Rather than feeding grains directly to humans, we use them to feed animals. It takes more than 30 pounds (13.6 kilograms) of corn to produce just one pound of meat. By cutting out the 'middleman' (the animals), we can increase the availability of calories, directly feeding more people in need [source: Fromartz].

As developing nations like China increase their meat consumption, the global food system becomes less efficient. In China, rice is the primary grain consumed, but currently, Chinese farmers are growing more corn for livestock than they are cultivating rice for human consumption [source: Earth Policy Institute].

The United Nations has even recommended a shift toward plant-based diets as a strategy to combat world hunger. Animal agriculture uses up 50 percent of the world's water resources [source: Oppenlander]. Not only is plant food production more efficient, but the environmental impact of animal farming is contributing to climate change, which will make future food production more difficult [source: Carus].

Despite the environmental arguments, people still have a deep love for meat, eggs, and cheese. Much like the challenge with reducing food waste, it's difficult to show individuals a personal benefit in giving up something they enjoy to help others they may never meet. However, some experts predict that water shortages and a growing population will force us all to cut our meat consumption by about 75 percent within the next 40 years, as raising animals for meat becomes more expensive [source: Vidal].

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the global food crisis, but improving efficiency, boosting yields, reducing waste, and minimizing the environmental impact of food production will be essential to feeding 9 billion people by 2050.