The Other 70%

In a globalised world, it is easy to take access to locally and internationally sourced foods for granted. But recent stressors to the food supply chain, namely COVID-19 restrictions and extreme weather events, have decimated farmlands and perpetuated some of the worst global food shortages in decades.?

Wet winters, dry springs, and hot summers meant that in 2020 the UK faced its worst wheat yields in 40 years. Similarly, in the United States and Canada, this year’s extreme heatwaves and droughts experienced have resulted in substantial crop yield losses and placed livestock at risk.?

Only when faced with the inconvenience of no longer being able to buy all the usual items in our weekly grocery shop do we begin to appreciate the fragility of our global food system. Amid the fragility of the international food system, some of us have the luxury of alternative food options. But many don’t.

Last year, between 720 and 811 million people went hungry, according to the UN report on the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. The World Bank Group recently reported that an increasing number of countries are facing growing levels of acute food insecurity and chronic hunger due to various factors, including COVID-19, conflict, socio-economic conditions, natural hazards, climate change, and pests. Bangladesh, Guatemala, Haiti, and Sierra Leone are just a few of the countries receiving short- and long-term financing to further bolster agricultural projects in an effort to respond to the emerging food security crisis.?

The issues we face on land further highlights the increasing importance of sustainable blue foods.

“As the four co-chairs of the Blue Food Cluster for the UN Food Systems Summit 2021 (UNFSS), we are championing the inclusion of aquatic foods in the outcomes of the UNFSS, whereby bold new actions to deliver progress on all SDGs will be explored,” writes Jim Leape, Kristian Teleki, Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted and Thomas V. Grasso in an OP-ED that delivers a reality check on this issue’s editorial focus:?Fisheries & Aquaculture.

This Autumn, we explore the role the ocean will play in feeding the planet.?Grace Cajski?tells the story of?Hawaiian aquaculturists?rediscovering the lost ancient art of tending fishponds and what aquaculture can do for the community.?Dr. Mi-Ling Li, University of Delaware, describes her research using?satellites to track fishing activities in Africa’s coastal waters?and expose the illegal, unreported or unregulated (IUU) fishing fleets who wish to remain hidden. And?RS Aqua, one of the UK’s largest ocean science technology suppliers, reports on the development of a?new harmful algal bloom early-warning system?for the salmon farming industry.

Coral reefs support more species per unit area than any other marine environment and have a vital role for many commercial and subsistence fisheries.?Steve Werblow?introduces us to surfer and scientist?Dr. Cliff Kapono (University of Hawaii at Hilo)?and his unique approach to measuring the flow of sediment and freshwater into a bay to discover how the coral reef is surviving the plumes.?NOAA’s Megan Fraser?shares the story of?Mission: Iconic Reefs, one of the largest collaborative coral reef restoration efforts in the world, and we had the pleasure of speaking with marine ecologist?Stuart Sandin?about the?100 Island Challenge.

In the latest IPCC report, experts warn that climate change will be increasingly felt in all regions by way of more heatwaves, longer warm seasons, and shorter cold seasons in the coming decades. Without innovating to adapt to extreme weather, there is no doubt this will impact the global agricultural commodities market putting food security at risk for everyone.?

It is a challenging time for many millions of people around the planet. But this is a challenge we can overcome. Alongside better adaptive farming strategies and governance on land, opportunities for building a healthy and resilient global food system can be found in the other 70% of the planet's surface.?

Discover more in our Autumn issue: https://www.ecomagazine.com/magazine