This article is part of the Bold Actions for Food as a Force for Good.

To feed 10 billion people in a healthy and sustainable way, we must rethink how we produce and consume food.
Regenerative farming is key to healing the planet and feeding the world with healthy food.
Consumers have the power to be part of this transition, by eating plant-rich and diverse diets, and slashing and repurposing waste.

Food is why we’re all here. It sustains life, spreads joy and brings us together.

But if we are to feed 10 billion people in a healthy way within planetary boundaries, the way in which we produce and consume food needs to change. As the coronavirus pandemic puts food security and nutrition at risk in many countries and hurts the livelihoods of small producers, we are called to re-evaluate our food systems.

As consumers, we have the power to be part of this transition. Informed and empowered consumers send a powerful message to producers and policymakers alike.

During the last century, the focus on crop yields and making food accessible and affordable has contributed to immense progress, with reductions in hunger, improved life expectancy, falling infant and child mortality rates, and decreased global poverty.

Still, nearly 700 million people – equivalent to half of India’s population – are undernourished. At the same time, 2 billion adults are overweight or obese and 1 in 5 deaths around the world are related to poor diets. Unhealthy diets have become a leading cause of mortality, killing more people globally than drug, alcohol and tobacco use combined.

What is more, this singular focus on yield and efficiency has come at a significant cost for our planet. Today’s food systems contribute up to 37% of global greenhouse gas emissions and are a leading driver in the dramatic decline in biodiversity, putting us in the midst of a sixth mass extinction.

Beneath our feet another crisis is unfolding: soils are being turned to dirt. Soil is a living system bursting with lifeforms that all play important roles in delivering nutrients to plants, maintaining soil fertility, retaining water and fighting climate change. Replenishing and protecting the world’s soil carbon stores could help offset up to 5.5bn tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.

But currently, about one-third of the world’s soil is degraded due in large part to intensive farming practices. Scientists predict that share will jump to 90% by 2050, if nothing changes. Without healthy soil, we face increased risks of desertification, dust storms and flooding. We also lose productive land, with crop yields predicted to fall by as much as 50% in certain regions, leading to forced migrations and violent conflicts. Ultimately, unhealthy soil equates to unhealthy food as the nutritional value of fruits, vegetables and grains is declining due to soil depletion.

But there is a way to change this worrying course and heal the land and balance the climate while feeding the world with healthy food. It is called regenerative farming.

Based on ancient knowledge, pioneering holistic planning and cutting-edge science, regenerative agriculture increases biodiversity, replenishes soils, improves water security, stores carbon and improves the nutritional value of our food through simple practices such as no-tilling, the use of perennial crops and livestock rotation. This type of agriculture also supports thriving farmer communities, so they can retain a larger share of their profits.

While shifting from destructive and extractive agriculture will take major efforts from governments and business alike, consumers also have the responsibility and power to act. How and what we eat matters, and we must use that power wisely.
What consumers can do ...read further from the source