A farm worker inspects oats in Walton on the Wolds, central England. REUTERS/Darren Staples
Why Your Humble Bowl of Oatmeal Could Help Feed a Growing Planet
Oats check all the boxes. They’ll feed you cheaply and nutritiously. They have a long shelf life, and they taste good. But there’s another dimension to oats, and it might matter even more than your cheap, nutritious breakfast. Oats have an important job in fixing what ails our agricultural system. Just about everyone who works in agriculture says they believe that our current system, based disproportionately on corn and soy, would work better if we grew a more diverse suite of crops.
Animal Health: The Next Eradication
Eradicating the cattle plague, rinderpest—a scourge since the Roman era—was a major victory for modern veterinary medicine. Its defeat has saved an estimated $111 million a year in 10 African countries alone, shielding millions from hunger and poverty while protecting the lives of countless animals. Renewed ingenuity in the search for the next eradication could replicate the successful extinction of rinderpest to save more lives and livelihoods.
'Food Revolution': Megabrands Turn to Small Start-Ups for Big Ideas
Food and drink megabrands are seeing their sales chewed away by smaller, nimbler, cooler rivals. They can't beat them—so now they're joining them. Nine of the world's biggest industry players have launched venture capital units over the past 18 months. The aim is to buy into—and learn from—start-up innovation, from micro-distilled spirits and cold-pressed juices to kale chips and vegan burgers.
Crop Biodiversity: The Key to Ending Hunger
We need to use all the tools at our disposal to make a world free from hunger a reality, but one major ally isn't getting the global attention it deserves: crop plant biodiversity. Crop plant biodiversity is the term used to describe all the genetic resources for any crop plant—either growing today or previously collected. But our global plant and animal biodiversity declined 30% between 1990 and 2007, twice as much in tropical regions. We cannot afford to let this continue.