When feeding the world puts food security at risk

The author contends that the 'Feed the World' narrative used by agribusiness multinationals masks a system that exacerbates hunger and poverty. Industrial agriculture is criticized for destroying the natural resources it depends on, promoting dependency through food dumping and seed monopolies, and contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The text asserts that food insecurity is primarily caused by poverty rather than structural shortages. It proposes a shift toward endogenous development, intercropping, and agroecology to ensure a resilient, high-quality, and accessible food system.

• The industrial agricultural system fails to meet the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) criteria for food security—availability, accessibility, resilience, and quality—and instead reduces the capacity to feed the world by destroying the means of production.
• Industrial farming in the North contributes to hunger in South America by replacing labor with machines and chemicals, driving farm workers into urban slums; for example, Brazil is a top EU food exporter while millions of its own citizens face hunger.
• European agricultural subsidies enable 'food dumping,' where wheat is sold at a loss in developing countries, which suppresses local production and increases the vulnerability of poor populations to price fluctuations.
• The agribusiness model undermines environmental and biological resilience by contributing 18% to 30% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and causing a 75% drop in grown plant varieties during the 20th century.
• A small number of multinationals have monopolized the seed market, creating a dependency model where farmers must use specific seeds engineered for the pesticides and fertilizers sold by the same companies.
• Hunger is generally a result of poverty and the organization of dependence rather than structural food deficits, except in cases of war, natural disasters, or climate catastrophes.
• The 'Green Revolution' approach of promoting monocultures of staples like rice, wheat, and corn has led to nutritional deficiencies, such as vitamin A deficiency, which the biotech industry attempted to solve with 'golden rice'—a product that failed due to poor yields and lack of absorbable vitamin A.
• Agroecology, organic farming, and small-scale farming—utilizing techniques like intercropping—offer a more resilient and sustainable alternative by optimizing sunlight, protecting soil, and maintaining rural employment.

APA

Leroux, J. C. J. (2017). When feeding the world puts food security at risk. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/when-feeding-the-world-puts-food-security-at-risk/

Chicago

Leroux, Jacques Caplat, Juliette. When feeding the world puts food security at risk. Green European Journal, 2017. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/when-feeding-the-world-puts-food-security-at-risk/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Leroux |first1=Jacques Caplat, Juliette |title=When feeding the world puts food security at risk |publisher=Green European Journal |date=1 April 2017 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/when-feeding-the-world-puts-food-security-at-risk/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{leroux2017when, author = {Leroux, Jacques Caplat, Juliette}, title = {{When feeding the world puts food security at risk}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2017}, month = apr, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/when-feeding-the-world-puts-food-security-at-risk/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }