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Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 253

Is It Possible to Feed the World Without Destroying It?

It has long been known that our current methods of agriculture are harmful to the environment. Scientists and environmentalists have been warning us for many years now that we need to rethink our present food systems.

Despite this, in the coming years we are going to need to produce twice as much food in order to feed our growing population. This creates a serious dilemma. If what we are doing now isn’t working, how can we change our food systems so that we can feed ourselves and not destroy the planet in the process.

And that is the focus of this episode. So join me for E253 is it possible to feed the world without destroying it?

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E253 is it possible to feed the world without destroying it.

In this episode I am going to continue my discussion on some of the greatest environmental challenges of our time. Although I have already covered this topic to some degree I want to look at this from a little bit of a different angle. But before we get started, I would also to first present the good news story of the week.

Good news story of the week

This weeks good news story is about yet another successful ecological recovery.

Did you know that invasive species are a major driver of biodiversity loss and is responsible for 60% of global extinction. Furthermore, the global spread of invasive species is driven by human activity such as trade and travel. The global economic impact is about $423 billion annually with the greatest impact being on island nations.

But there is good news. Island Conservation, a global nonprofit organization with a mission to restore islands for nature and people, has successfully eradicated invasive black rats, allowing the native forests and seabird population on two different atolls in the Marshall Islands which has allowed to islands to make a significant recovery even after one year.

Introduction of this invasive species has had a devastating effect on the local ecosystem due to the constant scavenging behavior of the rats. These small islands have long been a feeding and breeding ground for green sea turtles and is a bird sanctuary.

It took one year of work to eradicate the rats the the island was transformed. Colonies of birds are now thriving. The native forests and plants are now regrowing in areas that had been completely wiped out.

So, this is a good example of how human activity damages the planet but it can also be reversed with a little time and effort. But, this also makes a point of the fact that we humans should pay a bit more attention to what we are doing in the first place.

Now, let’s move on to this weeks episode.

I distinctly remember hearing about climate change when I was a teenager. At the time I thought it was an interesting, yet most likely improbable concept, that humanity could actually alter the climate of an entire planet. I also thought at the time that surely I would never see that in my lifetime. And, of course, I was wrong.

The reasons this has happened is multifaceted. However, some things are more damaging than others. Several studies have shown that our global food system is responsible for up to 1/3 of all human caused greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, our agricultural systems occupy an enormous amount of land and consumes vast amounts of fresh water.

One of the most damaging of all agricultural activities is cattle ranching. About 60% of the world’s agricultural area is dedicated to cattle while it only makes up 24% of global meat consumption. All the while scientists and environmentalist are waving a warning flag that we need to rethink our current food systems. Switching to more sustainable farming methods and focusing on a more plant based diet would dramatically reduce our carbon footprint.

So, just for the sake of a quick summary and overview of the challenges that we face. I am not going to dwell on this too much because I have covered much of this in previous episodes.

🌍 How We Can Feed the World Without Destroying It

Introduction

•  The world produces enough food for everyone, yet millions go hungry while out ecosystems are being destroyed.
•  Key Challenge: By 2050, we’ll need to feed nearly 10 billion people—without destroying the planet that sustains us.
•   We can feed the world sustainably—if we rethink how we produce, distribute, and consume food.

1. The Problem with Our Current Food System

The challenges we have with our current food system are on multiple different levels. However, I am only going to do a quick overview here. Just know that there is a lot more information in a transcript than what I am going to cover today.  

•  Industrial agriculture drives deforestation, soil degradation, water scarcity, and greenhouse gas emissions.
•  Food waste: One-third of all food produced is never eaten.
•  Inequity: While some countries face obesity and overproduction, others face chronic hunger.
•  Biodiversity loss: Monocultures and pesticide use endanger pollinators and wildlife.\

Great question — here are the main problems with our current food system, broken down into the biggest themes:

🌍 Environmental Problems

•  Deforestation & Land Use: Clearing forests for cattle, soy, and palm oil destroys ecosystems and releases carbon.
•  Soil Degradation: Industrial farming depletes topsoil, reducing fertility and resilience.
•  Water Overuse: Agriculture consumes about 70% of freshwater globally, often unsustainably.
•  Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Farming (especially livestock) contributes ~25–30% of global emissions.
•  Biodiversity Loss: Monocultures and pesticides harm pollinators and wildlife.

🍽️ Food Waste & Inefficiency

•  One-third of all food is wasted from farm to plate.
•  Wasted food means wasted land, water, labor, energy, and money.
•  Much of this happens at the consumer and retail level in wealthy countries, while food rots before reaching markets in poorer ones.

🌾 Over reliance on Industrial Agriculture

•  Monocultures: Reliance on a few crops (wheat, rice, corn, soy) increases risk of crop failure and reduces resilience. Rice, wheat, and corn provide 50% of the calories consumed by the entire planet.
•  Chemical Dependency: Heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers pollutes water, damages soil, and harms health.
•  Factory Farming: Livestock raised in industrial systems generate pollution, disease risk, and massive methane emissions.

⚖️ Inequality & Access

•  Hunger vs. Overconsumption: Nearly 800 million people go hungry while others face obesity from ultra-processed diets.
•  Food Deserts: Millions lack access to fresh, healthy food.
•  Small Farmers: Provide most of the world’s food yet face poverty, land grabs, and lack of support. A 2021 study by the Food and Agricultural Organization found that 81% of global crop production is performed on small farms, highlighting their significant role in food production despite their limited land use. Another study highlighted that small farms, those less than 2 hectares, meaning less than 5 acres, provided 35% of global food production yet used only 12% of the agricultural land.
•  Corporate Control: A handful of companies dominate seeds, fertilizers, and global trade, concentrating power.

🏥 Human Health Impacts

•  Poor Diets: Processed, high-sugar, high-fat foods drive obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
•  Chemical Exposure: Pesticides and additives affect long-term health.
•  Zoonotic Risks: Industrial livestock systems can spread diseases (e.g., avian flu, swine flu).

📦 Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

•  Globalized Dependence: Long, fragile supply chains are vulnerable to climate shocks, wars, and pandemics.
•  Transport Emissions: Shipping food across the globe increases carbon footprints.
•  Price Volatility: Climate change, energy costs, and speculation cause instability that hits the poorest hardest.

✅ In short:
Our food system wastes resources, harms the environment, creates inequality, damages health, and is unstable in the face of any sort of crises.

2. Rethinking Agriculture

•  Regenerative Farming: Practices that rebuild soil health, store carbon, and increase resilience.
•  Agroecology & Permaculture: Designing farms to mimic natural ecosystems.
•  Precision Agriculture: Using data, sensors, and AI to reduce water, fertilizer, and pesticide use.
•  Urban & Vertical Farming: Growing food in cities to reduce transport emissions and land pressure.

🌱 Soil-Health Practices

•  Regenerative Agriculture: Builds soil fertility through composting, cover crops, and crop rotation.
•  No-Till / Conservation Tillage: Minimizes soil disturbance, reducing erosion and carbon release.
•  Cover Cropping: Planting clover, rye, or legumes between harvests to restore nutrients and prevent soil erosion.
•  Agroforestry: Integrating trees with crops or livestock, which improves biodiversity, shade, and carbon storage.

💧 Smarter Water Use

•  Drip Irrigation: Delivers water directly to plant roots, reducing waste.
•  Rainwater Harvesting: Collecting and storing rain for dry seasons.
•  Drought-Resistant Crops: Using traditional seed varieties and breeding resilient plants.

🌾 Crop & Farm Diversification

•  Crop Rotation: Alternating crops to maintain nutrients and prevent pests.
•  Polycultures: Growing multiple crops together (instead of monocultures) to mimic natural ecosystems.
•  Integrated Farming Systems: Combining crops, livestock, aquaculture, and forestry to recycle nutrients.

🐝 Natural Ecosystem Support

•  Organic Farming: Avoids synthetic pesticides/fertilizers, relying on natural soil and pest management.
•  Companion Planting: Growing crops together that support each other (e.g., basil with tomatoes to repel pests).
•  Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Using biological controls like beneficial insects instead of heavy pesticide spraying.
•  Pollinator Protection: Maintaining wildflower strips, hedgerows, and bee habitats on farms.

🌍 Community & Localized Approaches

•  Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA): Local farms supplying seasonal produce directly to members.
•  Urban & Vertical Farming: Growing food in cities with hydroponics or aeroponics to reduce transport emissions. Fisher Farms in the UK is a prefect example of this. They focus primarily on leafy greens. By carefully controlling the internal conditions of their facilities they are able to eliminate the use of pesticides, herbicides and insecticides. They are also able to produce in one acre the same amount of food that would typically require 250 acres using traditional farming.

✅ In short:
Sustainable agriculture focuses on restoring soil, conserving water, protecting biodiversity, cutting waste, and reducing emissions — while still producing enough food.

♻️ Close the Loop

•  Reduce Food Waste: Compost scraps, donate surplus food, and improve storage to prevent spoilage.
•  Circular Farming: Reuse animal manure, crop residues, and byproducts as fertilizers or energy.
•  Local Food Systems: Shorter supply chains mean less transport, packaging, and emissions.

✅ Bottom line:

We can protect nature and feed ourselves by farming in ways that work with ecosystems instead of against them, reducing waste, diversifying diets, and supporting farmers who put the planet first.

What Can We Do at Home

Now in my opinion, maybe it is somewhat useless to make a point of saying we need to change our farming systems. The fact is that most of us depend on industrial agriculture for what we eat on a day-to-day basis. That said, I have also pointed out on numerous occasions that our choices do make changes. I truly think it is our day-to-day choices that will cause a shift in our agricultural systems to something more sustainable. It is what I would refer to as shifting our diets for planet and people. But more specifically:

🌱 Eat More Plants

•  Center meals around vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.
•  Beans, lentils, and chickpeas provide affordable protein with a tiny environmental footprint.
•  Whole plant foods also improve health (lowering risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity). As opposed to focusing most of our calories on highly processed foods.

🥩 Rethink Meat & Dairy

•  Eat Less Industrial Meat: Especially beef and lamb, which have the highest emissions and land use.
•  Choose Better Sources: If eating meat, prioritize grass-fed, pasture-raised, or regenerative livestock.
•  Shift to Poultry, Fish, or Eggs: Lower footprint compared to red meat.
•  Plant-Based Alternatives: Try plant-based burgers, oat/soy/almond milk, or blended meat-vegetable products.

🐟 Choose Sustainable Seafood

•  Look for certified sustainable fisheries (MSC, ASC labels).
•  Diversify seafood choices to reduce pressure on popular species like tuna or salmon.
•  Support regenerative aquaculture (e.g., mussels, seaweed) that actually clean water and store carbon.

🌾 Support Sustainable Farming

•  Buy local and seasonal foods when possible — reduces transport emissions and supports regional farmers.
•  Choose organic or regenerative options when affordable, since these methods protect soil and biodiversity.
•  Explore heritage and indigenous crops (e.g., quinoa, millet, amaranth) that are nutrient-dense and climate resilient.

🍽️ Reduce Food Waste (Part of Diet Too!)

•  Plan meals, store food properly, and use leftovers creatively.
•  “Eat ugly” produce — misshapen fruits and veggies are just as good.
•  Portion mindfully — smaller servings reduce plate waste.
•  Store Food Smartly ❄️: Learn how to extend freshness (e.g., keep greens in damp cloth, freeze extras).
•  Love Leftovers 🍲: Repurpose extras into soups, casseroles, or smoothies.
•  Compost 🌱: Turn scraps into soil instead of trash.

💡 Simple Shifts You Can Start Today

•  Meatless Mondays 🌱 — one day a week without meat.
•  Half-Plate Rule 🥗 — make half your plate fruits/veggies.
•  Swap Once 🥛 — trade dairy milk for plant milk once a week.
•  Mindful Eating 🍴 — eat what you buy, savor meals, reduce overeating.

✅ Bottom line:
A planet-friendly diet is plant-rich, low in waste, and moderate in animal products, especially red meat. Small changes, multiplied across millions of people, add up to a massive environmental win.

Now I want to close out this episode with story about an experience I recently had when I was traveling in Tennessee. I want to share this because it is a perfect example of what is possible.

I spent a great deal of time over a two week period looking at real estate in rural areas in Tennessee that were somewhat close to where I grew up. I have been thinking for the past two years about buying some land and setting up my travel trailer because it would make it tremendously easy for me to spend more time with family.

During this two week period I drove through mostly small farming communities which were predominately Mennonite. It turns out that this community has a central  market where they sell various items that are produced on the surrounding farms. Their market had a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, homemade bread products, honey, jelly, pickles as well as many other home canned goods.

During the time that I was shopping in the market, there were numerous deliveries which were brought in with horse drawn wagons. As new product was brought in, inventory was done and it was placed on the shelves. Needless to say, I was impressed and purchased a number of items knowing that this was truly organic, seasonal, and locally produced. And I have to tell you I ate some of the best tasting apples I’ve had in years.

The whole time I was there I was thinking this is exactly how things were when I was growing up on the farm. We could not have cared less about what was going on in the next state, much less the next country, because it had no bearing whatsoever in what we did, how we worked or how we fed ourselves. It was solely a local economy. Simple, secure, effective, healthy and little impact.

It kind of makes you question whether or not this concept of industrial agriculture and a globally connected economy is really a smart choice. 

Conclusion

•  Feeding the world sustainably is not just possible—it’s necessary.
•  It requires innovation, equity, and cultural change, but the solutions already exist.

Perhaps there is more security in locally controlled food systems which are organic and far healthier than industrial products. I sort of compare this to my solar electric system. I created my own power station which is not dependent on anything else. What not set up a local food system that is safe, secure, and resilient and has little environmental impact.

Well, folks that is about it for today. I hope you will join me again next week where I am going to discuss another one of our major environmental concerns.