In just a couple of weeks the world’s population will hit 7 billion. This figure gives little cause for satisfaction – and becomes all the more alarming on learning that by mid-century the population is expected to reach no less than 9 billion. However, I have young children, so I can’t afford to be pessimistic.
The search for transformations
All those mouths will want to be fed and have full bellies. However, at the very time the agricultural and livestock farming sectors need to increase their productivity to cater for the world’s rapidly increasing population they are confronted with both ecological limits and the finite reserves of fertile land, water and oil. For this reason it is no more than logical that scientists – and certainly the scientists at Wageningen UR (University and Research Centre) – are fervently searching for openings and opportunities for a fundamentally new approach to agriculture and livestock farming. The studies for these future transformations include an examination of the feasibility of innovations in the agriculture and livestock farming sectors that will enable them to literally break free from their reliance on land and animals. In this new approach the terms ’agriculture’ and livestock farming’ are no longer really applicable: it will, for example, be more apt to refer to the ‘marine culture’ of algae and seaweed as basic food ingredients. We are already familiar with the soilless cultivation of crops such as Dutch tomatoes, which are grown on substrate: the Dutch live on rock wool...
Bloodless revolution
However, the production of meat without animals is still in the future. There is every reason to place our hope in this bloodless revolution, since meat is an element of our diet which has a particularly large environmental impact. Moreover, meat’s ecological footprint is only going to increase: all over the world, people who have more to spend turn to a diet that includes meat. Richer people eat meat, or more meat. The global demand for meat is continuing to increase – and is reaching an unsustainable level.
Vegan
Although we could wait for our top scientists to achieve results in synthetic biology or the development of in-vitro meat, we can also take the initiative to make changes. Bill Clinton must have had this in mind when he recently announced that he has become a vegan. Bill no longer eats hamburgers or steaks –which is quite something, since the former President used to have a legendary appetite and share the eating habits of the large majority of Americans who exhibit an insatiable need for a meat-rich diet.
Comeback Kid
So Bill now wishes to invest in the quality of his health and life, as well as in the wellbeing of animals and the planet: switching from a carnivorous diet to a vegetarian diet, as was recently confirmed by the Health Council, reduces health risks and achieves sustainability gains. I think that in switching to a vegetarian diet the Comeback Kid is really going to live up to his nickname. Our great helmsman Bill shows how we can eat our way out of our problems and into a promising future. Moreover, if the technologists make good progress then Bill might ultimately be able to find himself being able to enjoy animal-free beef. All in all, in the words of the Agro & Food centre of excellence, a marvellous future lies ahead of us!
Hans Dagevos, senior scientist at LEI, part of Wageningen UR