153 Experts Sound Dire Alarm For Future of Food. What Do We Do?

Danielle Nierenberg

Danielle Nierenberg 

Last week, 153 top Nobel Prize and World Food Prize laureates sounded an alarm about the dangerous consequences of the world’s current approach to climate action and food system change.

In their new open letter, the experts do not mince words: “Humanity is headed towards an even more food insecure, unstable world by mid-century than exists today, worsened by a vicious cycle of conflict and food insecurity.”

“We must take bold action to change course.”

With hundreds of millions of people worldwide already hungry today—while the climate crisis continues to pose new challenges to food production and resource availability—we are “not even close” to meeting the food needs of the future, they write.

It is an uncomfortable truth—but we need to understand it. This is not just one person’s analysis: It is the consensus view among more than 150 preeminent thought leaders in food systems, economics, science, peacemaking, humanities, and other areas of expertise. You can read the letter HERE.

The open letter was coordinated by Dr. Cary Fowler, the former Special Envoy for Global Food Security at the U.S. Department of State and 2024 World Food Prize laureate—and a personal food system hero of mine who I’m proud to call an inspirational friend and colleague.

“What really keeps me up late at night is the combination of factors,” Dr. Fowler said during an announcement event for the open letter. “It’s not just the effect of climate change on food production. It’s the effect of climate change plus soil degradation plus problems with aquifers that are supplying irrigation water. … We’re going to be seeing the effects of all of these factors combined.”

What does this group of experts call upon us to do?

The open letter outlines big-picture steps aimed at high-level national and global policymakers and food system leaders. But these must be accompanied by and bolstered by local, grassroots organizing!

So here’s a to-do list of ways we can apply the experts’ “moonshot” recommendations to our own lives and communities. 

1. Prioritize local, seasonal, and Indigenous foods if and when you’re able. 

Many Indigenous and underappreciated crops—foods that Dr. Fowler likes to call “opportunity crops”—are resilient to droughts, have deep root structures to keep water and nutrients in soils, grow perennially so they don’t need to be replanted every year, and taste really good, too. A deeper understanding of what food grows in our communities, and when it’s in season, will go a long way toward strengthening local food systems and making them more resilient.

The most impactful crops to add to your diet depend on where you live, of course, but some examples of common cover crops include grains like millets, amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa; legumes like pigeon peas and cowpeas/black-eyed peas; and other culinary crops like taro, squash, and okra. 

2. Eat everything in your fridge before it goes bad.

Food waste remains a major food system challenge and hindrance to climate progress, and a moral scourge when so many are hungry. Much of the food the world needs already exists—it’s just being wasted instead of ending up on the plates of those who need it! 

Meaningful solutions to food waste represent significant steps toward lower emissions and a nourished world, and this can start in our homes. By shopping carefully, getting creative with food scraps and leftovers, and using our freezers more and better, we can reduce our individual carbon footprints. A few years ago, we highlighted several cookbooks that help us all do better, and they all remain invaluable resources. Check them out HERE.

3. Elevate farmer voices and success stories in your communities.

Going forward, the experts say in their open letter, we need to support advancements in agricultural research and innovation. Farmers and farmworkers have deep embodied knowledge of land, and they must remain at the forefront of any equitable, nourishing transformation. When you see visionary solutions take root in your community, shout them out so other communities can take inspiration from them. What I’m saying is: Don’t be afraid to brag!

4. Use our voices to move institutions.

Trust me: Our elected officials, from the local level on up, do truly listen to their constituents. Business leaders pay attention to the bottom line and consumer voices. Across the public and private sectors, we all have tremendous power when we speak together.

We need corporations to put people over profit. We need philanthropic dollars to flow toward mission-driven nonprofits, research, and data to fuel the adoption of new solutions. We cannot afford to see backsliding in our countries’ national approaches to global food, health, and climate action!

And, as the letter points out, we need to ensure these innovations aren’t happening in a vacuum but are truly reaching communities in need. Food equity concerns like affordability and access must remain central to our discussions of a resilient, sustainable future food system.

I’m committed to putting Food Tank’s resources behind local changemakers and breaking down silos between institutions to build lasting change! Please keep me in the loop at danielle@foodtank.com to let me know how we can continue to highlight success stories in your community, connect local advocates with the resources they need to succeed, and build a better food system together.

(Danielle Nierenberg ia the President of Food Tank and can be reached at danielle@foodtank.com)