Feeding the planet, what are the solutions ?

Universal Exhibition of Milan 2015

Feeding The Planet : Energy for Life

The aim of this exhibition is to reflect on ways which will guarantee a healthy food supply and a sufficient quantity of food to be shared throughout the world.

Russia’s stand

In 2013 more than 850 million humans are undernourished in other words nearly 30 percent of the world's population suffers  from undernourishment. 

The world population in 2050 will attain 9,7 billion people.In order to feed this number 

the world food production needs to increase by 60 percent.

The 2015 exhibition wanted to show that the best way to limit the social inequalities and to achieve "energy for life" would be to live according to the principles of sustainable development.

We decided to look at an African example to see if it is possible to resolve the problem of undernutrition by methods which respect the rules of sustainable development.

Our school is closely involved in one such objective: the Burkina Faso humanitarian project.

We interviewed Madame Thébault to find out how the town of Djingerma is trying to feed its population in difficult climatic conditions and with very little financial and technical resources. The developed  world's shocking wastage of food does not exist. Madame Thébault explains that "People can only afford to buy a small packet of rice in the market . They never buy a kilo at a time. The average budget  for a family in this region of Dano is about 1.50€ per day. Our school supports a charitable organisation which helps Burkina Faso. Every year a new project is mounted, always to do with agriculture or education. The aim of the school at Djingerma is to ensure that the  children eat at least  one meal a day. The former director of the school Mamadou Backouan needed help to create a school field in which to grow crops  because his main wish was that the village become self sufficient rather than depending on external help. This was achieved with the help of the pupils and their parents. Everyone gave a help in hand and all the food produced in this field is consumed in the canteen. Often the children take home part of their meal so that they can eat it later in the evening and share it with their brothers and sisters who don't go to school."

Poor child from Burkina Faso (La redation, 3rd april 2015)

Food is being produced locally in an environmentally respectful way.

Self sufficiency in agriculture means local employment and food at school.

Finally, having it's own agriculture can only be an economic advantage

The role of the school is therefore not only to educate but also to feed the children. This is just one example of how local solutions can be found to feed the developing world.