Not enough for everyone
Grown fruits and vegetables are not enough for all of humanity
Dmitry Mazalevsky, Naked Science
Scientists compared global agricultural production with recommendations for nutrient intake and found that if everyone on the planet wanted to follow a healthy diet, we would simply not have enough fruits and vegetables.
A group of researchers from the University of Guelph in Canada calculated the number of required portions per person for each of the food groups based on the recommendations of Harvard University. According to them, half of our diet should consist of fruits and vegetables, 25 percent – from whole grains, and the remaining 25 percent – from protein, fat and dairy products.
Then the scientists calculated how much land is currently being used for agriculture and how much it will take if everyone follows these dietary guidelines. The researchers predicted these figures for 2050 – the world's population is expected to reach 9.8 billion people then.
It turned out that now we produce 12 servings of grain per person instead of the recommended eight, five servings of fruits and vegetables instead of fifteen, three servings of butter and fats instead of one, three servings of proteins instead of five and four servings of sugar just like that.
The results of the study are published in the journal Plos One (Bahadur et al., When too much isn't enough: Does current food production meet global nutritional needs?).
"We all simply do not have the opportunity to follow a healthy diet within the current global agricultural system. The results show that now humanity is overproducing grain, fats and sugar, and the production of fruits, vegetables and, to a lesser extent, protein is not enough to meet the nutritional needs of the population," says one of the authors of the study, Professor Evan Fraser.
According to scientists, since carbohydrates are relatively easy to produce, and they can feed quite a lot of people, developing countries are focused on growing grain. Developed countries have been subsidizing grain and corn production for decades in an effort to establish global leadership in their production. These countries spend significantly more money on research in these crops than on fruits and vegetables.
The study also showed that a more nutritious diet is useful not only for us, but also for the planet, because if humanity switches to a healthy diet, the amount of land needed to feed a growing population will decrease. Changing production, in accordance with dietary nutrition guidelines, will require 50 million hectares of arable land, because fruits and vegetables take up less land for cultivation than grains, sugar and fats.
"If everything remains in place, then in order to feed 9.8 billion people, 12 million hectares of arable land and at least one billion hectares of pasture lands will be required. This problem is one of the most important tasks facing the XXI century. Our results show that the only way for the future generation to lead a balanced diet, save land and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to consume and produce more fruits and vegetables," Fraser emphasizes.
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