OK, just wanted to offer some info on eating algae, insects and krill. The IPCC report due out this month will no doubt lend more weight to such ideas:
"Match this data with information leaked from the most recent IPCC report (to be published in March 2014) linking climate change with food supply disruptions. The leaked report points to a widening gap, with agricultural output rising a mere 2 percent each decade for the rest of the century, while the demand for food is projected to rise at a staggering 14 percent each decade during the same timeframe. In the face of a rising population, a more volatile climate and an increasingly difficult food production paradigm, new tools are needed to adapt to this new status quo.
The world is going to need new ways of producing food, feed and fiber. We need production systems that produce more efficiently (i.e. with more production per resources used) and production systems that are not so susceptible to the unpredictable changes in climate."
http://www.wired.com/insights/2013/12/with-food-supply-and-demand-on-collision-course-algae-tech-to-bloom/--- Algae farms already exist. Algae was once hailed as potential biofuel, but the food source value is now getting more recognition.
"Comparing algae to soybeans, van der Meulen notes that the former has a year-round harvest and can produce 38 times more usable protein per acre per year than soy, using one percent of the water that crop needs. “Ultimately, we may not need fresh water at all,” he adds."
Algae farming company Alltech
http://www.alltech.com/future-of-farming/algae-the-growth-platformhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/amywestervelt/2012/05/04/forget-fuel-algae-could-help-feed-the-world/http://phys.org/news/2014-02-algae-renewable-carbon-negative-source-food.html--- "Eat insects, save the world"
This is anything but a new idea -- the BBC documentary shows a book on eating insects from 1885.
"Consumption of insects like locusts, crickets or larvae is very common in parts of Asia, South America, Mexico and Africa, due in large part to their high nutritional value. Insects beat out both meat and fish in protein content and quality, and they're also rich in fiber and healthy micronutrients including copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium and zinc.
Insects adapt so quickly to climate change, that there would be few barriers to gathering from the wild or farming at any altitude or latitude around the planet - making them a cheap and eco-friendly food source. They also have a very low risk of transmitting disease to humans, unlike farmed beef, pork and poultry."
Unscientific poll at the bottom of the article, about the idea of eating bugs, showed that only 20% said "not a chance." And if you're one who says they'll never eat bugs -- well, the US food quality standards already allow a certain number of insect parts and rodent hair on food. So, eat up!
http://www.salon.com/2013/06/05/your_breakfast_of_champions_includes_bugs_partner/http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/05/14/eat-insects-save-the-world-says-the-u-n/>> Hour-long informative (and fun) live-action BBC doc: Can eating insects save the world?
Includes a cricket farm in Thailand -- the country actually imports insects, because demand outstrips supply.
-- Krill
There are concerns about over-harvesting krill, which is fished from Antarctic waters, not farmed, so an alternative for this should be found.
"“Yes, it’s wiser and ecologically more sustainable to eat lower on the food chain,” she said. “Eating crustaceans is more sustainable than eating the larger animals that eat crustaceans. But we have to make sure we’re not competing for krill with their natural predators. We have to make sure that when and if you take an omega-3 supplement or eat a krill sandwich, you’re not taking food out of the mouth of a penguin or a whale.”"
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/16/can-krill-end-world-hunger.html"The actual krill catch is far below the total allowable catch, but some scientists say that the most significant issue for krill populations is concentration of the catch in one area, which can have significant impacts on the ecosystem."
http://krill-oil.wellwise.org/krill-oil-sustainabilityKrill harvesting is currently protected by the CCAMLR.
"The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was established by international convention in 1982 with the objective of conserving Antarctic marine life. This was in response to increasing commercial interest in Antarctic krill resources, a keystone component of the Antarctic ecosystem."
http://www.ccamlr.org/en/organisation/about-ccamlr--------
So for those who eat well now, without eating processed food: that's excellent -- as long as it lasts. But check out the undernourished, tiny-for-their age kids in the BBC video, who thrill at finding a tarantula to eat, because they have little else. And even the bug connoisseur in the video warns the host against eating the day-old fried bug. Highly processed foods that are nutritious and need no refrigeration are a vital solution for the world's hungry. While the technology may start helping at the level of the desperately poor, it could also take hold at the top, for those who love junk food and the latest fad (Cronuts, anyone?) -- and in that way the technology will be ready when the crops fail.
