By: Allen Williams, pH.D., Understanding Ag, LLC
Green Revolution
The Green Revolution started in the 1940s following the end of World War II and expanded rapidly over the next three decades. It has been hailed as the savior of agriculture and has been credited with our ability to “feed the world.” The major achievements of the Green Revolution consisted of the development of high-yielding crop varieties, increased mechanization, synthetic fertilizers, a dizzying array of pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc.), and various production technologies. All in the name of preventing famine and feeding a rapidly growing global population.
Pertinent Facts
But let’s examine some pertinent facts and then determine whether these achievements represent true advancements. Have we moved forward in a meaningful way, or have we created a series of unintended consequences that are creating widespread, detrimental issues?
Between 1960 and 2000, nitrogen fertilizer use increased more than 800% and has continued to increase since the turn of the 21st century. From 1950 to 2000, U.S. farm production more than doubled, and farm size increased from an average of 215 acres in 1950 to 464 acres in 2023. World agricultural output increased more than four times between 1961 and 2020. Between 1961 and 2017, U.S. farm output nearly tripled, while global grain production has more than quadrupled since 1950 and has doubled since 1975. The global calorie supply has increased more than 30%.
Unintended Consequences
All this sounds like we have made significant progress, and in some ways maybe we have. However, let’s take a look at some other statistics that might shed some light on other unintended consequences.
- Soil organic matter has decreased by more than 50% since 1960.
- The U.S. is losing an average of two tons of topsoil per acre annually.
- Pesticide use has increased more than 150%.
- Insect populations have declined by more than 75%.
- Crop diversity has decreased by 75% since 1950.
- The protein content in the three major crops (corn, soybeans, wheat) has dropped significantly.
- The ALA content (an omega 3 fatty acid) in soybean oil has dropped 73%.
- The mineral and phytonutrient content in the majority of the plant and animal foods we consume has declined by between 20% to over 50%.
- Irrigated acres have more than doubled since 1960.
- Corn is now planted on more than 30% of U.S. cropland.
- The average person in developed countries now consumes 25% more calories daily.
- 50% of U.S. calories consumed come from ultra-processed foods.
- The per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup is over 38 lbs. annually.
- The rate of obesity and severe obesity in the US in 1970 was 15%. Today, it is over 51%. When you add in those who are overweight, obese or severely obese that level has increased to over 70%.
- In the US, we spend about $1.7 trillion on food & beverages, but we spend $4.1trillion on healthcare.
- 90% of that $4.1trillion goes towards treating people with chronic and mental health conditions.
- Currently about six in every 10 adults in the US have at least one chronic disease, with chronic disease accounting for 92% of all deaths.
- 28% of our teenagers are diabetic.
So What Now?
There many more pertinent statistics, more but I don’t think we need to expound on this further. The facts speak for themselves. No doubt our agricultural output has increased. No doubt that global grain production is significantly higher, but at what cost?
It is clear we are continuing to lose topsoil and soil organic matter at an alarming rate. Our reliance on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides has increased significantly, and we have decimated our beneficial insect populations, both here in the U.S. and many places around the world. These factors have resulted in a precipitous decline in the nutritive value, or density, in most of the foods we routinely consume. We are eating more calories than ever, consuming more ultra-processed foods than ever, and are becoming fatter and sicker than ever.
So, the question is: “Can we feed the world AND have healthy environments, healthy ecosystems and healthy people, or are we stuck in this conundrum of sacrificing all of that for the sake of feeding the world?” My college education taught me that as American farmers, it is our responsibility to “feed the world.” The truth is it is our responsibility to feed ourselves, our families and those around us. We are not responsible for trying to feed the world. We can use some of our time and talents to teach others how to feed themselves. That is scriptural.
The EPA estimates food waste in the US at about 38.5 million tons of food annually. That equates to about 219 lbs. per person per year. Globally, we waste about 2.5 billion tons of food annually. Yet we are told repeatedly that we have a food crisis on our hands and must drastically ramp up food production, but just eliminating our food waste alone would come close to feeding our population. The truth is we are over-producing food globally. Are there people going hungry? Yes, but it is not because we are not producing enough food. It is a food distribution and equity problem.
Real Hope
Real hope resides in regenerative agriculture. Careful and intentional application of the 6-3-4TM not only builds the soil, soil biology, ecosystem health and resilience, but it also allows us to produce far more “actual food” per acre than conventional agriculture can. Our data shows that regenerative farms produce anywhere from three times to more than six times the amount of food per acre annually than neighboring conventional farms.
On a conventional row crop farm, any given acre only produces one type of “food” annually. That would typically be only corn, soybeans, or wheat. And no one sits down to a plate of field corn for dinner, nor do they sit down to a bowl of field soybeans for breakfast. This production is mostly used for animal feeds and biofuels. A typical ranch only produces cattle and the calves are usually weaned and sold.
In comparison, many regenerative farms and ranches have a diverse crop rotation and multiple species of livestock, all produced on the same acres or overlapping acres each year. As an example, we may have 4-6 food-producing enterprises touching any given acre in a year. An acre may provide foraging for cattle, sheep, pigs, laying hens, broilers and turkeys.
Summary
We can produce foods without heavy reliance on expensive and damaging inputs, and we can produce more than one type of food per acre each year. We can produce foods that promote and build soil health and ecosystem health, and we can produce foods that are wholesome and healthy for each of us. We are not destined to be stuck in a system that produces severe unintended consequences.
There is hope. We simply have to be intentional about our desire to farm in a better, healthier and regenerative way.
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