ENOUGH Movement looks at how to feed 9 billion people by 2050

As the global population grows to reach 9.7 billion people in 2050, experts say there will be a 60 percent increase in demand for meat, milk and eggs. The ENOUGH Movement, a global community dedicated to finding practical solutions for a food-secure world, explores potential solutions that can not only increase efficiency, but safeguard animal welfare in an environment where emerging diseases are a threat.
“Building a food-secure world is one of the greatest challenges of our time. To address it, we all need to understand the challenges we face,” said Jeff Simmons, president of Elanco Animal Health, in an email interview with WATTAgNet. “This issue is solvable, but it is crucial that we turn to the practices and techniques that will have a lasting impact.”
Simmons who, when working for Elanco in Brazil, saw hunger firsthand, said: “If you have seen kids who haven’t eaten in a couple days, or even a day, the wrongness of that screamed out at me. There’s a wrongness in hunger,” and that is what makes him so passionate about the movement.
“It’s easy to be passionate when you look at what’s at stake: In just 35 years, we’ll have more than 9 billion neighbors and an expansive middle class … and we will require more of our planet’s resources than we can afford,” he said. “The facts are clear, and we can’t continue down the path we’re on to reach the goal of a food-secure 2050.  We need sustainable solutions that protect animal, human and environmental health.”’

The four pillars

The four pillars of the ENOUGH Movement are innovation, choice, access and nutrition.
“We believe there is enough innovation available to feed 10 billion people, (but) the challenge is ensuring producers have the ability to access that innovation,” Simmons said.
“By implementing innovative farming techniques that increase efficiency, enabling both farmer and consumer choice, eliminating global trade barriers and ensuring proper nutritional nourishment, we can write a positive ending to this story,” he said.
Farmers and producers are crucial to the movement. “Farmers matter more than ever,” Simmons said. “There are fewer farmers, so we depend on them more. Their voice is more credible than any other. … It is not possible to build a food-secure world without innovation, and innovation is their business.”
The ENOUGH Movement stresses that producers and consumers must have choices in how to operate.
“Consumers deserve the ability to choose the food that fits their budget, taste and nutritional needs, and farmers should be able to choose the production methods that work best for them,” Simmons said. “In developed countries, consumers often have choices when it comes to their food supply. They may even have a broad selection of stores, products, brands and price points to consider, but not everyone has the means or desire to treat food as a luxury item or a lifestyle choice.”
The movement says reducing key global trade barriers is one of the most effective ways to eliminate hunger and provide nutritious, sustainable and affordable food. It also says nutrition is a crucial part of global health and development.
“Hunger is a disease, and there are many diseases in the world that … we don’t have the answer to. Hunger is not one of them. We can solve hunger. … That realization is what keeps me working passionately towards my goal of seeing a food secure world for my kids,” Simmons said.