Food Security In 2021: Is There Enough Food To Feed Everyone In Australia?

In short, no, but also yes.

Let me explain...

2020 was a pretty weird year for the whole world. 

It made many of us look at our lives differently, assess what's going on in the world and take stock for what is really important.

2021 has its own weird-isms, but we wanted to focus on one of the crisis' that we are facing the most... food security.

This is not a blog post to strike fear, in fact there is more hope than ever amongst all this doom and gloom, so we will be providing some solutions to what's going on. However it is important to shine a light on what's going on.

World Hunger Is Somehow Still A Thing... Why??

Firstly let's start with the fact that there are over 821 million people (according to World Hunger) that are undernourished in the world. This was from a finding back in 2016, so I'm sure it's crossed more than 1 billion people now.

We can put robots on Mars, but still can't feed our entire planet which is utterly ridiculous.

The fact that people are still starving in 2021 is not necessary at all... as we have more than enough food and land to feed the entire many times over.

So why are there still hungry people in the world? Why are people still starving?

Well there are many reasons, but the main reason being...

OUR FOOD SYSTEM IS BROKEN.

It doesn't take a lot to see this, but when you look even deeper... you get to see how flawed it really is.

We won't go into the whole global food system, as we can mostly speak for what's happening in our backyard - but I'm sure it is similar in other countries in their own way.

With the first lockdowns we experienced in Australia (and the world), we got to see empty shelves as a whole country. Possibly for the first time ever.

We got to see that there are no more than a few days worth of food supply available in the major food chains, and that without the constant back and forth of our truckie heroes, we would all probably go hungry.

Many Australians most likely wouldn't have a few months let alone a few weeks of food stored in their cupboards like we used to back in the day. 

We have become overly reliant on the availability of food in our supermarkets and grocery stores... as if there is always going to be food on demand.

When everyone started freaking out with the lockdowns and buying all the long life food on the shelves, it showed many of us the truth of how secure our food system really is.

The Upcoming Truckie Strike

If you've been on social media this past week or so, there's a good chance you've seen posts going on about a truckies strike on the 31st of August.

We don't know how long this strike will be going on for, but we do know it will effect the supply chains between QLD and NSW for as long as it's there.

Since much of our state's products and produce comes from interstate this poses a big issue... 

Big supermarkets and even small businesses that rely on the constant stream of products coming from interstate, will potentially not have any food to feed people on the shelves. 

If the borders are blocked, and the shelves aren't stocked, and we don't have food at home... what then? Famine? 

It really does highlight how broken our food system is, and the fact that we are due for a food revolution.

I sincerely hope that we don't experience short term or even long-term food supply shortages, but if 2020 showed us anything... it's that anything is a possibility.

There is a positive side to all this though...

People are waking up to the fact that there is something wrong, and that we need to take the power back into our hands and away from those that quite. frankly are doing a rubbish job at moving us towards a sustainable future for all Aussies and citizens of the earth.

We need another food revolution.

The two simplest ways to creating a food revolution are:

1. Growing our own food

In countries around the world like Russia, most houses grow their own veggies in their backyard, whereas in Australia it's kind of a rare thing to have a garden.

For many people it's not practical as many of us are either too busy or can't keep plants alive (I'm guilty of that one), which is why businesses like us exist to support you to nourish your bodies.

But imagine what it would be like if we all grew a little something, I'm sure we would all feel a sense of abundance and food security, even if the shops closed for a day or two.

2. Supporting local farmers and businesses

We are lucky that most of our produce comes from QLD, so you can rest assured that you will have a steady supply of produce even if the borders are closed for however long.

So you can let out a sigh of relief knowing that we can provide a level of food security for you and your families.

In the long run, this is what needs to happen more.

We need more people to step up and grow food in this country and not rely on the big supermarkets to feed us.

We need more farmers embracing regenerative agriculture.

And we definitely need a food revolution.

So while there may not be enough food on the shelves to feed everyone if all the roads were closed up - there is nothing stopping us all growing food in our backyard, supporting local farmers and businesses, and taking the power back into our own hands!

Take this time to get educated and learn more about our food system, and do your bit - in whatever way you can.

Together we can do this!