In The Enduring Fantasy of Feeding the World, the Agroecology Research‑Action Collective, including assistant professor Environment Adam Calo, challenges the dominant belief that increasing agricultural productivity can solve global hunger. They argue this narrative isn’t about feeding people—it’s about maintaining capitalist and colonial control over land and food systems.
Rethinking the Myth of “Feeding the World”
While mainstream voices claim factory farming and high-tech agriculture can end hunger, the authors show that hunger stems from inequality, not scarcity. Malnutrition is better addressed through access to clean water, education, and equitable land use—not more crop yields.
This “feed-the-world” ideology, they argue, disguises industrial agriculture’s environmental harms and justifies the displacement of small farmers. Under the guise of “sustainability” or “climate-smart” practices, powerful interests push technological fixes that benefit agribusiness, not communities.
As an alternative, the authors promote agroecology, land sovereignty, and decentralised food systems that prioritise ecological and cultural integrity. They invite us to imagine “a world that feeds itself”—based not on maximising yields, but on equitable land access, community autonomy, and solidarity with small‑scale and indigenous food producers.
Read the full article here: https://spectrejournal.com/the-enduring-fantasy-of-feeding-the-world/.