The Quartz article [“The world could run out of food two decades earlier than thought”] leaned heavily upon the testimony of CEO Sara Menker of Gro Intelligence, an agriculture data company. That is a perfectly fine source of information, but it should raise some journalistic skepticism.
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“By 2023, even if all the surplus produce from countries in Europe, North and South America was solely exported to China, India, and Africa, it still would not be enough, says Menker. Four years later, Menker predicts, there will be a 214 trillion calorie shortage.”
This is the wildest claim made by the author of the Quartz article. It doesn’t appear to be backed up by anything other than Ms. Menker’s assurances.
“Menker… started Gro Intelligence to provide individuals, governments, and businesses insights into agriculture, tracking data from weather patterns to pricing dynamics. She has some solutions to avert the oncoming crisis: reform the agricultural industries in Africa and India by changing how farmers farm, how people buy and consume food, decrease food waste, improve infrastructure, and increase farm yields exponentially.”
Of course, these are all true, and people who study agriculture are already well aware of these issues. Exaggerating the extent of the challenge we face might help her sell software, but it provides little confidence in the reliability of her product.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: No, World Won’t Run Out Of Food In 10 Years
