Food Security- In Your Dreams

What does nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium all have in common? They are the main components of most fertilizers applied throughout the world. Historically, crops could be produced simply from the natural levels of soil phosphorus and other available organic matter. However, in order to keep up with the growing human population, fertilizers became the world's lifeline.

But what was praised as a green revolution, was actually more of a band aid that future generations would have to deal with.

Let me paint you a picture of where we are right now...

All modern agriculture is dependent on regular inputs of phosphate fertilizer derived from mined rock.  Ok, simple enough.  

But, phosphate rock is a non-renewable resource and what remains is under the control of only a handful of countries, including China, the US and Morocco.

China has by far the most phosphate reserves. However, to achieve domestic security, they have taxed and export phosphate to an unaffordable level. The US probably only have about 25 years left of reserves if they are really careful, and we all know the US is not a very self-indulgent country. Morocco and Western Sahara own approximately a third of the remaining phosphate rock. Somehow, I don't think they will be too willing to give it up when things start to get really bad.

So what does this lack of phosphate have to do with food security? The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) defines food security as,

“Food security” means that food is available at all times; that all persons have means of access to it; that it is nutritionally adequate in terms of quantity, quality and variety; and that it is acceptable within the given culture. Only when all these conditions are in place can a population be considered “food secure.”

Now, let me be frank. Phosphorus is just as important to agriculture as water. Lack of availability and accessibility to phosphorus will directly halt our capacity to feed the global population.

So enough about the bad news. What are the options for actually fixing this crisis?

In 2009, an overly optimistic paper was published by Cordell and her colleague in the Global Environmental Change Journal. This research article proposes several possible solutions to this undeniable crisis. They are smart in stating that we will require an integrated approach that looks beyond reducing agricultural phosphorus application and they are quick to point out the numerous and obvious flaws that come along with many of the proposed solutions by the current population.

Suggestions such as exploration of existing phosphate rock resources are quickly dismissed in this paper because the finiteness of phosphate rock reserves in the long term and poor farmers’ limited access to globalised fertilizer markets. The accumulation of phosphorus and associated toxic wastes in soils and waterways is also examined as a reason to stop the reliance of people on phosphate rock. Recovery measures of phosphorus are very common among local farmers and include strategies such as plowing crop residues in fields and composting food waste from houses.

That just sounds ridiculous. That is really the best we can do?

We need to think bigger. Act bigger.

We need to seek techniques to optimize soil conditions to increase soil phosphorus availability. We need to study foreign plants, such as members of the Protea family such as Banksia, Grevillea, and Telopea, who can grow to extreme lengths with practically no-phosphorus at all.  

The paper continues to describe that food security may truly come about by encouraging people to move to foods which require the input of less phosphorus and water. Advertisements focusing on a vegetarian diet are encouraged.

I would love nothing more than for these simple lifestyle choices to take place across the world. I would love people to start eating smart. I would love people to start caring about our planet. I would love people to start thinking about how their life decisions affect their neighbors. But having traveled the world, and experienced the glutinous nature of our current generation, I am not that naive.

Our world once relied on technology and science to save and feed our population, and it has put us in this mess. True. But, I find myself looking to science and technology again for a quick fix. Because let's face it- humans have proven time and time again that they are completely incapable of change.

Reference

Cordell D, Drangert J-O, White S. The story of phosphorus:global food security and food for thought. Glob EnvtlChange. 2009;19:292-305.

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