Food and safeguarding the planet. A talk with Stefano Liberti

To save the planet, there has to be a complete rethink of the agri-food chain, especially intensive livestock farming, which contributes greatly to CO2 emissions. And also because UN estimates say that the world population will reach 10 billion by 2050. Will there be enough food for everyone? We asked journalist Stefano Liberti, an expert on the subject and author of the investigative books “I signori del cibo. Viaggio nell'industria alimentare che uccide il pianeta” (Food Lords. A journey through the food industry that kills the planet) (Minimum Fax, 2016) and “Terra bruciata. Come la crisi alimentare sta cambiando l'Italia e la nostra vita” (Scorched earth. How the food crisis is changing Italy and our lives) (Rizzoli, 2020).

From soya to tuna, food has become a financial product: is this compatible with safeguarding the planet?

«Recent years have seen a growing interest in food by financial groups that have no tradition of involvement in the agri-food chain. This has been partly due to the financial crisis, which prompted many to switch their investments to a promising sector like food, which is considered something of a safe haven. Populations are growing and food is a primary need, but resources are increasingly scarce. The upshot is that prices rise and, consequently, so do profits. But the problem is that these groups are interested only in making a profit and not in regenerating ecosystems: I call them “locust companies”, because they move like locusts from one country to another, plundering one place as long as it suits them and then moving on to the next one. This pattern is incompatible with any notion of safeguarding the planet. It is also unjust from a social point of view, because it means small producers get elbowed of the market».

UN estimates say that the world population will reach 9 billion by 2050. A more sustainable form of agriculture is necessary but will it be enough to feed everyone?

«On this account the debate is a bit warped. Common wisdom merely advocates increased productivity, but I would add that resources should first of all be rationalised. The first thing is to commit to reducing food waste: today 1/3 of food on production and consumption phases gets thrown out. Then there’s the issue of livestock: 70 billion animals – mainly poultry but also pigs and cattle – are processed every year. They have to be fed and this absorbs huge resources. Today 1/3 of all arable land is used to produce animal feed. But if the upward meat consumption trend continues in the coming years – especially in China – 120 billion animals will be needed. This means that 2/3 of arable land would be used for animal feed, leaving little space for human food agriculture. And so the system becomes completely unsustainable».

How do we resolve the livestock problem and how do we replace meat and even fish?

«The meat question depends a lot on China: it can make political decisions to steer its population’s diet on a massive scale. To find a balance we need regulatory intervention from international institutions. Individual choices and conscious consumption alone are not enough; a transition as important as this requires political will. For example, there are still subsidies for intensive farming; these should be rethought. We need to scale down our consumption of meat and perhaps source it from healthy farms: the younger generations are now taking this issue more seriously, especially in Western countries. Laboratory-made meat is on the rise: it now costs much less than in the past and in 10 years' time it could become normal to consume it. Obviously, we need to think about fish as well, to reduce fish farms, which have an enormous environmental impact».

Would a large-scale plant-based diet still pose risks, such as deforestation?

«Well, no, because as we were saying, a reduction in intensive livestock farming would free up the arable land that is currently used to produce animal foodstuffs such as soya and cereals. There would then be much more land available for human needs. However, we’re talking about a huge transition that won’t be easy or immediate. Apart from anything, the economic systems that have developed around livestock farming cannot be dismantled overnight».

Why has climate change affected agriculture in Italy more than in other countries?

«The impact of climate change is more evident in Italy than in other European countries because of the dramatic increase in extreme weather events and droughts here more than anywhere else. Increased temperatures have also led to a proliferation of parasites in the fields. One example is the brown marmorated stink bug, which has seriously affected crops in northern Italy. All this pushes down productivity, and it is a story that receives scant attention. Some examples: in 2019, the brown marmorated stink bug cut down the Emilia-Romagna pear harvest by 60%; in 2020, industrial tomato processing in the province of Foggia fell by 30% due to lack of water; frosts in April of this year affected wine production. There is a permanent crisis in agriculture; this is not reflected in the supermarkets only because we import products from abroad. This is a huge problem for farmers, but it has to be solved not only with subsidies but by rethinking the paradigms. Here are some examples. Rethink crops that need too much water, like corn in northern Italy, or focus on research to explore new solutions. The issue is still too absent from the public debate».