Editor's Note [Volume 23 No. 6 (2023)]

https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.121.ED130

Can we feed everyone?

What do you think, do we need more land to feed the fast-increasing population? I do not. But of course, I could be wrong. My view is that we have not utilized well the land we have. We have misused it, battered it, and probably out of ignorance. We did not know much. If we believed in a superpower, we just assumed it will always provide. Or we just thought of ourselves and our surroundings and so long as that was ok, there would be no problem. But all of a sudden, the population in certain parts of the world is growing too fast while in others the population has started to shrink. Even in these areas where the population appears to grow too fast, there will come a time when it starts to decline. Each year, throughout we worry about how we are going to feed the world. We set targets and hold conferences to review these targets. We have SDG 2, achieving zero hunger by 2030 which is only 7 years away. Yet, instead of going forward, we are backsliding. Two years ago we were engaged in the UN Food Systems Summit which resulted in food systems transformation pathways, the results of which are yet to be realized. Are we even employing the right strategies? Can we alleviate world hunger? It is not a question of food shortage. We waste too much. It is not as if the wasted food can feed the hungry. So much food is wasted in the USA, and there is so much of it that cannot feed the hungry in Africa. Even in a middle-income country like Kenya, it is not as if the food wasted in the city of Nairobi can feed those who are starving in the Great Horn of Africa. Clearly what is needed is more efficiency in the food value chain, to minimize wastage and target better. We need technology in this and perhaps AI (artificial intelligence) will work here. We should be able to eat only what we need and like. That will satisfy both physiological need and appetite.

In this issue, we have 16 well-reviewed manuscripts. Please enjoy.


Ruth Khasaya Oniang'o
Editor-in-Chief, AJFAND
ORCID: 0009-0005-8344-9093