Global Food Security in the 21st Century
The global population is expected to reach about nine billion in the next few generations. During this time, we will also have to face unprecedented climatic change and an economic transformation in many parts of the globe. Feeding us, without irreparably damaging the world’s ecosystems, will therefore be one of the great human security challenges of the 21st century.
Current patterns of food production and consumption cannot be maintained. There are no simple answers, and although the best disciplinary research is necessary, we must also break apart the intellectual and institutional barriers that traditionally separate academics, policy-makers and activists.
To meet this challenge, Dr. Evan Fraser, Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security, will focus on two key issues. First, he aims to learn from past food security crises in order to understand where the world might be vulnerable today. To do this, he will integrate knowledge from nutrition, sociology, political science, geography, international development and psychology with knowledge from biotechnology, crop science, hydrology, agricultural economics and soil science. Fraser will use this combined knowledge to critically explore ways of ensuring we both have enough food to eat and that it is nutritious and adequately distributed.
Second, Fraser will explore the socio-economic forces that shape our food-producing landscapes, thus trying to determine what regions of the world are likely to be vulnerable to food insecurity in the 21st century.