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FOOD SUPPLY AS A GLOBAL CHALLENGE
Dorottya Mendly — Melinda Mihaly
Introduction
In the 21st century, the global political agenda is often dominated by so-called
“global challenges”. Their main lineament is that the effects of each are exerted
— albeit differently — all over the world via intricate networks of relations. Their
management requires a degree of coordination among the efforts of diverse actors
from various political areas, on a broad spectrum of geographical levels: global,
continental, macro-regional, state and local. Access to food enjoys high priority
among the global challenges, as its solution is the focus of the concerted political
work — of so-called global governance — outlined above; after all, the food supply
is beyond doubt a direct necessity for the survival of humankind.!
Providing each inhabitant of the Earth with sufficient, nutritious, safe food is
itself a serious challenge for the global systems in charge of food provisioning. In
view, however, of the possible requirements to be fulfilled by food systems (Ericksen
2008) (being, for example, culturally appropriate, socially or environmentally
sustainable, and produced even in some regenerative manner), it might appear
euphemistic to term this set of problems a “challenge”. Like air and water, food is
also ensured on Earth by the biosphere. The global system of food provision
changes the surface and ecosystems of the Earth to an extraordinary degree (Takacs¬
Sánta 2008). It is essential to declare that it not only transforms but also gravely
damages the biosphere (Houtart 2010; Manning 2000; McMichael 2014; Weis
2007). Like in the case of solving the other global challenges, “sustainability” is a
minimal requirement. Recent investigations have, however, clearly revealed that
without the profound transformation of agriculture and food systems (including
the social and economic structures that maintain them), the notion of sustainability
is gradually emptied of meaning.
Data by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveal that there are
3033 million hectares of good quality cropland, but this number is steadily
decreasing, due to soil erosion, overuse and aridification. The dominant systems
of agriculture contribute to the broad set of natural hazards (desertification, forest
clearing, decreasing biodiversity, water pollution and overuse, etc.), to a rapid
decline in the living conditions of rural populations, and thereby to the general
erosion of social relations (Mészdros 2017). Food supply and agriculture are
responsible for the emission of a quarter of greenhouse gasses (Poore — Nemecek
2018), while half of the habitable part of the planet is used by agriculture (Ritchie
— Roser 2019a). 70% of freshwater is used by agriculture globally (FAO 2011),
while this sector is responsible for 78% of the pollution of water resources (Poore
— Nemecek 2018). At present, 94% of mammals in the world (not counting
' On this topic, see Gabor Pirisi’s study on overpopulation.