In 2013 I attended my sons’ graduation in the agriculture industry, in the speech given by one of the professors he made the statement that by 2025 the global food production needed to double. Five years on people are making the same statements with the dates being pushed out further and the percentage of growth needed significantly increased. This year has identified so many challenges with obtaining these goals, some industries are flourishing, some are being hit with obstacles, the labour shortages, changing climate, significant weather events etc etc.
I have no doubt that one way or another the goals will be achieved but one thing is certain, we will need to adapt and think outside the box. All roads are favouring innovation and no matter what size business or industry I visit the conversations about providing solutions and looking forward are not by business owners and managers looking for quick fixes but instead partnering or collaborating for us all to achieve the desired outcomes.
It will be interesting to see how our perception of fruit and vegetables will change as we navigate the path to increased production. I’m a convert to the whole foods and (almost) paleo trend of eating, I know too that fads and fashions come and go but as more knowledge is gained and humans challenge the provenance and methods that are used to produce our foods I don’t think this trend is going to lose its momentum.
I came across these three words in an article recently talking about forward thinking identifying qualities needed – Insight, Outsight & Foresight. In my opinion that’s not a bad plan to start looking for the answer
