The Future of Food

About this series

The world needs a comprehensive food revolution. With nature’s capacity to support human life having already reached a breaking point, changing what we put on our plates has become consequential in determining the future living conditions for all people on planet Earth.

For decades, land-based ecosystems have been absorbing around 30% of excess carbon-dioxide emissions, protecting us from the worst climate shocks. Over the last 50 years, we have obliterated at least half of these natural assets. Forests are routinely destroyed for industrial food production. This system, which was designed for the noble purpose of inexpensively feeding a growing population, is now destroying the very soils and natural assets that it relies upon, generating damages that are, frankly, unaffordable.

The food system’s massive contribution to global warming – which will cause more crop failures and drive up hunger – also results in untenable levels of food waste, the monopolization of seeds, smallholder farmers being left in dire straits, the degradation of once-fertile soils, poisoned waterways, and catastrophic biodiversity loss. Alongside the environmental catastrophe are the evil twins of obesity in some countries and lack of nutrition in others.

Now, with momentum across the globe, regenerative farming and more sensible systems of growing, producing and feeding ourselves are coming to the fore. Join us for The Future of Food, a special series of the Outrage + Optimism podcast, as we explore the solutions taking place from change-makers, experts, policymakers, farmers, chefs and corporations to ensure a resilient future of food.