Food conservation interventions
Food conservation interventions are particularly effective in the initial stages of a disaster because they leverage existing resources. They require careful planning and redistribution to address immediate food shortages.
This type of resilient food solution focuses on redirecting existing agricultural resources (crops and biofuels) from animal feed or industry uses to direct human consumption, as well as reducing food waste.
Such interventions aim to maximize the nutritional potential of available agricultural production, creating a system that can immediately respond to changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions.
Food conservation interventions can potentially extend food security and enable the survival of millions of people in a catastrophe.
Read in-depth information about food conservation interventions in our paper or by clicking on the button below.
- Reducing food waste
- Redirection of crops for biofuel production toward human consumption
- Redirection of crops for animal agriculture toward human consumption
Reducing food waste
Reducing food waste is a universally beneficial practice that enhances resource efficiency and mitigates losses, making it a valuable contribution to both short-term crisis response and long-term food security.
Food waste is highly sensitive to price changes, with a price elasticity of -1.49: when food prices increase, waste dramatically decreases. If food prices were to triple during a global catastrophic event, this would significantly reduce post-harvest waste (food losses that occur after harvest but before reaching people, often due to inadequate storage, transportation, or processing). Specifically, waste levels currently estimated at 24-29% are projected to decrease to approximately 6-10% due to the increased economic value of food incentivizing better handling and storage practices.
Strategies to reduce food waste in a catastrophe include:
- Adequate management of stocks and storage.
- Developing better storage facilities to prevent post-harvest spoilage.
- If the catastrophe does not cause electricity and industry loss, using techniques like freezing, drying, and canning to extend food shelf life and preserve food.
- Adequate management and tracking of food waste.
- Reusing/recycling.
- Regulation and inspection of quality standards.
Recommended Research Areas
Modeling and trials to study how fast food waste strategies could be implemented in combination with rationing schemes.
Redirection of crops for biofuel production toward human consumption
Biofuels are derived from crops such as corn, sugarcane, rapeseed, palm, soybeans, and others, all of which can be used as ingredients for food products. A significant amount of these crops could be used to feed people instead of being turned into fuel, especially during and after a global catastrophic event.
The U.S. is a major producer of biofuels. By converting it into ethanol, corn became the primary crop used in biofuels, but it is also a significant component of a wide variety of food products. The amount of corn that was produced for biofuels in the U.S. in 2022 could have fed approximately 600 million people if it had been put towards food use instead.
Biofuels supply less than 2% of the energy currently provided by petroleum fuels. In a global catastrophic event, the crops used for biofuel production could instead provide enough food to meet twice the daily caloric needs of the U.S. population. Additionally, reducing the use of food crops for biofuels could help stabilize food prices.
Recommended Research Areas
Policy research on introducing flexibility in biofuel mandates to address food shocks.
Redirection of crops for animal agriculture toward human consumption
Currently, a massive portion of global crop production—36% of calories and 53% of protein—is allocated to animal feed. Feeding animals grains is not the most efficient way to obtain calories; chickens, one of the most efficient feed-to-calorie producing animals, still require about 8 calories in for every 1 calorie out, this ratio is over 30 for cattle.
Redirecting these crops from animal feed to direct human consumption could increase global food availability by approximately 70%, potentially feeding up to an additional four billion people.
In a severe Abrupt Sunlight Reduction Scenario, by combining rapid redirection of feed and biofuel crops with rationing, optimized food stock management, and food waste reduction, food availability could increase from 15% to 51% of the global caloric requirement*.
The implementation of this type of food conservation intervention would require careful planning, including rapidly reducing animal breeding, optimizing meat processing infrastructure, and strategically relocating livestock.
Recommended Research Areas
More research into plant-based meat to displace inefficient animal agriculture in an ASRS.
*compared to a ‘no adaptions’ scenario.