It is Time for a New Green Revolution

It is time for a new Green Revolution, it has been 52 years since Norman Borlaugès infamous speech, and we find ourselves in the middle of a global pandemic, with the threats of global climate change quick on it’s heels. We see the results of the disruptions to access to food to this day, far beyond the issues of production capacity, we have also become entirely dependent on our global supply chains. For the security of our collective future, we must rethink our modes of production and distribution in order to mitigate for the unknown future we have begun to expect.

The threat of hunger is a prominent feature throughout our human history more than any other environmental factor. Hunger has toppled nations, unthroned Kings, and moved our human adaptations forward or stopped them in their tracks. It is an immediate response and the most basic human need. If we are to prevail through resilience, we must adapt to a changing world and secure our future once again. The life we hold in such regard is fragile on this globe of spinning serendipity. We must come to the realization that our collective future requires action now, instead of reacting within the confines of predictable tragedy. 

Humans have been innovators since the dawn of humanity, in fact, it is what makes us the most human; to imagine a world that does not yet exist, and develop it into existence. We have been experts at observing the world and bringing together concepts in ways that are useful to our success and longevity. As our world melts we are acknowledging the wealth of ancient technologies being revealed. Our history is a treasure trove of information, and in merging the ancient with the modern, we can surpass our own human expectations. How can anyone deny the ingenuity that made mountains, crossed waters, healed the sick and fed nations.

Food is the first human sign of trust, and that trust has been lost.

The current food system is in an abysmal state. That which is meant to nourish has poisoned so many with the slow burn of ill health, overweight, undernourishment, and addictive satisfaction. This has fundamentally changed the health trajectories of generations. Wealthy nations are suffering from the ill effects of a food system based on increasing profits over health. Food is the first human sign of trust, and that trust has been lost. There have been many improvements in the last 50 years to our Third World nations, but we have again found ourselves off course from healthy productive lives.

It is time to re-examine our priorities, to understand our weaknesses and to plan for a future of human excellence. It is time to diversify both our modes of production and distribution, and the constituents of that production itself. It is time to re-imagine our future so that we can minimize human suffering from hunger, disease, and preventable causes. Just like genetic selection, we can use what works to construct a new food system; a sustainable diversified production matrix that will nourish the world within the bounds of its capacity.

Author: Carey Satin