Digging into the 'facts' of food production
Dr Jacqueline Rowarth is an adjunct professor at Lincoln University and has a PhD in soil science. She is on the board of directors of DairyNZ, Ravensdown, Deer IndustryNZ and NZ Animal Evaluation Ltd. OPINION: In an attempt to assist with making better policies for food systems, the OECD did some checking in 2021 . Under the title of Misconceptions and Data Gaps on Food Systems (Table 3.1 on page 85 of the 280-page document), authors stated that public debate on food systems often features claims which on closer inspection turn out to be misconceptions or based on unreliable statistics. First on the list is that smallholders produce most of the worlds food. The implication is that the world can do without modern techniques that allow more food to be harvested per hectare than smallholders can manage. Closer inspection suggests maybe a third of all food is produced by smallholders, and that many are struggling. Various governments globally have instigated programmes to help improve food production under increasing vagaries of climate, weather and government decisions. Meanwhile, larger farms continue to support the bulk of food production while being blamed for such things as soil erosion. Claims that the world has only 60 years of topsoil left is the second misconception highlighted by the OECD report. This figure was suggested back in 2012 at the World Economic Forum but has no factual basis. Further, in a 600-page report by the FAO in 2015, no mention was made of the world running out of topsoil. It is true that some techniques in primary production, particularly those that disturb the soil (such as deforestation and tillage), increase the potential for soil loss. Roadworks and urbanisation also increase the losses during development. New Zealands history of deforestation, earthquakes, landslides, uplift, steep slopes and heavy rain events increases the likelihood of erosion, and Maanaki Whenua Landcare Research calculates that New Zealand loses 192 million tonnes of soil a year . Farmers have adopted different practices to reduce soil loss , such as minimum tillage and strip grazing across the contour and from higher to lower altitude. Of importance is that revegetation enables topsoil to rebuild. Maintaining plant cover, for instance through pasture, reduces losses. Another figure promulgated is that of the contribution of livestock and the fact that 1.3 billion to 1.7 billion people depend upon them for their livelihood. The OECD researchers could find no credible source for the fact, but did comment that there is no doubt livestock are an important contributor to livelihoods, especially in lower-middle income countries. When the Sustainable Development Goal of No Hunger is considered, livestock become vital for harvesting forage that is indigestible by humans and turning it into high-quality protein (containing the essential amino acids in the right ratios for human physiology). Food waste is yet another point of doubt. Although it is commonly said that a third of food is lost or wasted, estimates depend on assumptions and starting point and on definition of loss and waste. A 2019 FAO website explanation suggests food loss between harvest and retail at 14% of the global supply , and that the United Nations Environment Programme estimates food wastage at the retail and consumer level is 17% of total food. These two figures approach a third, but one is loss and one is waste. The terms are used differently by different groups, and the difficulties of assessing both are explained in the report . Not covered by the FAO, but a common misconception, is the role of insect pollinators in food production. Although three-quarters of food crops are pollinated by insects , the staple crops of wheat, rice and maize are wind pollinated. Tubers such as potatoes and cassava, legumes such as lentils and chickpeas, and fruit and vegetables such as bananas, grapes, lettuces and peppers do not require insects, and nor does sugarcane and sugar beet. Insects are involved in many of the delicious things in life such as pip fruit, stone fruit, berries, almonds, avocados and cocoa, but the bulk of food production occurs without them. The intent of the OECD report was to provide information for policy creation. In the global thinking about food policy, a paper published in June is relevant. Researchers from the UK (Exeter and Cambridge Universities) have suggested that current conservation policies risk accelerating biodiversity loss. They also stated that unless researchers and policymakers assess the overall, global effects of interventions aimed at addressing biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental degradation, poor decisions that are unsupported by the data will at best under-deliver, and at worst exacerbate these existential threats. Accepting everybody knows is not acceptable for the future.