Advantage 53 – The solution to the problem of world hunger

Excerpt from the book »Gradido – Natural Economy of Life« 

»World agriculture could feed 12 billion without any problem.

That means that a child that dies of starvation today is murdered.«

– Jean Ziegler

from “We Feed the World”

Feeding the world population is not a technological problem but once again an economic one, resulting from the market logic of the old monetary and economic systems. As we saw in advantage 48, we can supply entire humankind with high-quality organic food. This food will be mainly from vegetables as their production needs only a thirtieth of the resources necessary for animal food. Since the consumption of too much animal food is the cause of most lifestyle diseases in civilised countries, we will also get healthier as a side-effect.

Organic cultivation of fruit and vegetables is possible everywhere in the world, even in desert regions. Permaculture provides successful examples of this. In general, vegetable dishes are much tastier than animal ones. The culinary diversity is significantly greater and for people who enjoy meat there are now excellent vegetarian substitutes that taste delicious. Vegan steaks, sausages, soya milk and much more make the changeover a pleasure. We do not propose banning meat consumption but merely recommend offering an increasing number of vegetarian dishes in shops and restaurants – a trend which fortunately is already noticeable.

For the 24,000 people who die of starvation every day on average and the many million people who survive but suffer from hunger the question of taste is of minor importance. At most, religious laws play a part. There are religions that prohibit the consumption of meat but vegetable food is permitted everywhere.

The more the so-called civilised world reduces meat consumption, which is unhealthy anyway, the more prosperity is possible for all of us and the sooner there will be peace. Then nobody will have to suffer hunger or thirst anymore.