1

MISSION 1:
RESEArCH & UNDErSTAND GLOBAL FOOD ISSuES
Your rst mission is to arm yourself with information. After all, in order to change the world, you have to understand how it works especially in our complex global food system, with its looming challenges and vast untapped potential.

YOUR MISSION

Things to keep in mind before you get started: Thought For Food (TFF) is a challenge that demands a dierent approach

We want you to be bold. Be creative. Think way outside of the box. Push all kinds of boundaries, question assumptions and dont rely on conventional thinking. Listen to what the experts say of course, but free yourself to think about things and do things in new ways. Inspire each other and inspire us. As a rst step, were asking you dive deeply into the intricate and very emotionally-charged issues surrounding food security, but come at it with an open mind. Dont let your personal ideologies crowd out the insights and perspectives of others who may think dierently than you.

And remember, the question we are asking, how to feed 9 billion people by 2050, is purposefully broad. Whether you develop an innovative social enterprise, education program, or technology/science-based solutions; whether you come up with a breakthrough idea based on the arts, design, or music; or whether you do something we cant even imagine right now, this is your chance to blow our minds with wildlyinnovative projects that will change the world. The point is: there is no right way to address this challenge. Its more about the right attitude. So, enjoy the competition and all that comes with it.

WHAT IS FOOD SECURITy?

The World Food Summit of 1996 dened food security as the point when all people at all times have access to sucient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life. Often, the concept of food security is dened to include both physical and economic access to food that meets peoples dietary needs as well as their food preferences. Food security is not just about food. This issue is at the core of other major global challenges, including health, development, environment, energy, peace, education, and trade, among others. There is a great deal of debate around food security issues, including such points of contention as whether or not food needs can be met by current levels of production, if this is a problem of distribution, what role technology can and should play, and whether globalization is a good or bad thing in terms of food security.

Although the challenges ahead are daunting, they are by no means insurmountable. Tackling food security represents a massive opportunity and an even bigger responsibility. Here at TFF, we believe the world already has the power to nd inspired solutions that will ensure everyone has access to adequate, nutritious and safe sources of food; but we need to tap that potential now.

According to the World Health Organization, the essence of food security is built upon three pillars:
Food availability: sucient quantities of food available on a consistent basis. Food access: having

As the debate on these and other related issues continues, the facts remain: every day, nearly 1 billion people go to bed hungry or malnourished, while 1 billion over-consume. Fragile global dependence on existing agricultural systems are under extreme pressure due to factors such as severe weather events, rising input costs, and the impact of nonfood crops, such as biofuels. Additionally, well over 30% of food is wasted along the chain rotting in elds or discarded by apathetic consumers.

sucient resources to obtain appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. Food use: appropriate use based on knowledge of basic nutrition and care, as well as adequate water and sanitation.

People used the equivalent of 1.5 planets in 2007 to support their activities.
- The Living Planet Report 2010, World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

ThE 21St CENtURYS GREatESt ChaLLENGE:

How to feed more people sustainably

THE FARMERS WORLD:

Farmers play a key role in helping achieve global food security, but it is important to remember that they are all dierent. Farmers are both men and women. In fact, the majority of the worlds farmers are women. Some are old, some are young; some grow crops on large-scale farms while some grow on very small plots of land; some are highly educated, while some cannot read. Being a farmer isnt just about growing food its about running a business, safeguarding the environment and more. Farmers face a myriad of demands and pressures, including: Global nancial instability: The volatility of crop prices makes decisions on acreage and which crops to plant dicult, and aects competitiveness of agriculture in dierent parts of the world. Value chain requirements: Retailer requirements simultaneously reflect consumer preferences and the need for prot maximization. Fresh produce, for example, needs to combine attractive appearance with long shelf life. Also, consumer preferences dier around the world. In developed markets, the focus is on cost, quality and choice. In some emerging markets, suciency is the primary concern, with food shortages and rising prices a cause of political instability. Governments, regulator and consumer demands: Governments and regulatory agencies are charged with ensuring food safety. Regulations are not harmonized internationally, which can create trade issues. Increasing health awareness among consumers is leading to increased government intervention in food consumption patterns. Environmental pressure: Climate change, weather volatility, water scarcity and protection of biodiversity are all issues farmers face while also trying to increase productivity and protability.

REsoUrCEs:

KEY Food SECURItY RESoURCES:

One of the books TFF is crazy about is Abundance (www.abundancethebook.com). The idea that technology is a resourceliberating mechanism is the premise of this New York Times bestseller, written by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler. Abundance provides a thoughtprovoking case for optimism: a world of abundance and innovation versus the doom and gloom notion of limited resources. We encourage you think about the points raised in this book and consider how disruptive innovation can help feed the world. Check out this TED talk: http://bit.ly/AbundanceTFF Download the first chapter here: http://bit.ly/AbundanceChTFF

HErE ArE SOME OTHEr BOOKS WE LOVE:

The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change by Roger Thurow

The Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Enough: Why the Worlds Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty by Roger Thurow

The End of Food by Paul Roberts

For Hunger-Proof Cities: Sustainable Urban Food Systems by Mustafa Koc

World On the Edge by Lester R. Brown

Here are some great data sources:

International Food Policy Research Institute: http://www.ifpri.org/ Global Hunger Index 2012: http://bit.ly/2012FoodPolicyTFF Food and Agriculture Organization: www.fao.org World Food Programme Hunger Stats: http://www.wfp.org/hunger/stats World Food Programme Hunger Map: http://cdn.wfp.org/hungermap/ IFAD Rural Poverty Report: http://www.ifad.org/rpr2011/ Saving Water: From Field to Fork (SIWI): http://bit.ly/SavingWaterTFF World Economic Forum New Vision for Agriculture: http://bit.ly/WEF_TFF Gender and the Right to Food- Report by UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food: http://bit.ly/Gender_TFF

Here are some interesting articles we recommend:

New Scientist, Obesity and Hunger http://bit.ly/ObseityandHungerTFF The Economist, Vertical Farming: does it really stack up? http://bit.ly/EconomistTFF Ecomagination, LED lights power sustainable power http://bit.ly/EcomaginationTFF New Scientist, Stop wasting food and save the worlds energy http://bit.ly/350ResourcesTFF Financial Times, Theres no time to waste Dumpster diving http://bit.ly/NoWasteTFF New Scientist, Intensive Farming http://bit.ly/NewScientistTFF Forbes, Interested in Food + Technology? http://bit.ly/Forbes_TFF Good.is, The Agricultural Cli: Farmers Are Aging and Young People Have to Step In http://bit.ly/GoodDisruptsTFF

Here are some cool initiatives we think will inspire you:

Bright Farms: www.brightfarms.com The Urban Farming Guys: theurbanfarmingguys.com Love Food Hate Waste: http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com Jamie Olivers Food Revolution: http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/ jamies-food-revolution/home Beyond Meat: www.beyondmeat.com Oxfam Grow! http://www.oxfam.org/en/grow/what-is-grow Food Tank: http://foodtank.org/ ONE Agriculture: http://www.one.org/c/international/issue/1115/

Here are some movies you should denitely watch:

Home Food Inc. A Place at the Table

CAsE STUDiEs:
HErE ArE SOME EXAMPLES Of BOLD iNNOVATiONS AffECTiNg fOOD SECuriTY:

CASE STUDIES

FaRM-BotS: CoULD RoBotS REpLaCE ChEMICaL hERBICIDES?

PLaNtSCRapERS: CoULD GIaNt GREENhoUSES IN CItY CENtRES hERaLD a NEw aGE of fooD pRoDUCtIoN?

A future without weeds would be a kind of farmer utopia, but currently, managing weeds are part of todays reality. Some researchers are looking for a solution that seems ripped from science fiction: weed-seeking robots.

Crops could soon be grown in greenhouses the size of skyscrapers in city centers. Food producers are investigating building plantscrapers, which could accommodate hundreds of stories worth of crops, in a bid to make farming more economical, sustainable and meet increasing demand.

bit.ly/NPR_TFF

bit.ly/UrbanSkyscrapers_TFF

CASE STUDIES

MEat LaBS: CoULD IN-VItRo BE thE fUtURE of fooD?

CoNNECtED AGRICULtURE: Do MoBILE TEChNoLoGIES PRoVIDE a NEw waVE of oppoRtUNItY foR faRMING?

Scientists are coming up with novel ways to cater for the increasing meat demands of future generations. In-Vitro meat is the (idea of) manufacturing of meat products through tissue-engineering technology.

In many emerging countries, well over half of people have mobile phone access and many already benefit from wireless money transfer and other services. These affordable and simple technologies can also be used to help smallholder farmers to improve the efficiency of food production while safeguarding the environment.

bit.ly/FutureFood_TFF

bit.ly/ConnectedAg_TFF

CASE STUDIES

FUN aND IMpaCt: CaN oNLINE GaMES hELp SoLVE woRLD hUNGER?

What ELSE wILL thE fUtURE hoLD?

Food Force is a game created by the UN World Food Program that puts gamers in charge of their own aid agencies, fighting hunger around the globe as they deliver food, respond to emergencies and manage their resources. Food Force packs all of the strategy and networking elements key to the success of other social media games while also allowing players the chance to make a real difference in the lives of hungry children.

Futurist Bob Johansen provides a visual forecast map that depicts several external future forces affecting food security. For a more in-depth look, see the graphic on the following page. Source: Leaders Make the Future: Ten New Leadership Skills for an Uncertain World by Bob Johansen

bit.ly/WFP_TFF

bit.ly/FutureLeaders_TFF

INSPIRATION

Remember that the best ideas often come from unexpected places. As you learn about food security, dont forget to make connections with other seemingly unrelated topics you may be interested in. Here, weve pulled together a few more thought-provoking information sources related to our competitions judging criteria. Explore these links and share any new ones you come across with our TFF community!

Create Mass Awareness HBR, When Crossing Cultures, Use Global Dexterity bit.ly/HBR_GlobalTFF Scale of the universe: bit.ly/UniverseScale_TFF

Build A Sustainable Project HBR: Creating Shared Value bit.ly/SharedValue_TFF

Ignite Social Change Watch as fellows at the Unreasonable Institute manage businesses, partnerships, investor pitches and and global communications: bit.ly/UnreasonableTFF HBR Lets Be Realistic About Measuring Impact bit.ly/HBR_ImpactTFF

Disrupt the Status Quo Self-Taught Engineering Whiz from Sierra Leone, Wow MIT Experts bit.ly/MITWhizTFF Making Water out of Air: bit.ly/WaterGenerator_TFF

 Auto-Record

If youre shooting one continuous shot, you dont

have to hold your nger down the entire time! Just frame, and itll shoot the rest for you. Cornell University offers for:

FEElING AMBItIoUS?

swipe left toout rightthese on the dark greycourses area below your Check online

Aspiring, New & Experiences Farmers bit.ly/CornellCourseTFF Shoot A Short Loop (Warning! They cost money. Consider building You also dont have to shoot the full six seconds! them into your business plan for Round 2).
Vine lets you post a video with a minimum of three seconds. After three seconds, a check box in the lower right corner pops up. Hit that to post your

These Online courses from SkillShare are often free and their topics are awesome and diverse: short vid. http://www.skillshare.com/schools
Play With Sound

almost anything UseRead your headphones that have ahere: built-in mic for http://www.ssireview.org/ a better recording of your voice. (Check out our topics/category/food demo!) Or use an iPhone Boom Mic to get better
recordings of peoples voices. If you have access to

Learn about what other global heavy-duty weatherproof case, put it on for

game changers close-to-silent videos. like you are doing around the world! Dont be shy, reach out to them and ask questions. Shoot From Afar http://welovebold.com/people
Trick your phone into thinking youre touching the screen. Just touch the positive end of a battery to your screen, and itll start a recording. You can even attach the battery to a stick to tap the screen from afar. Helpful for tricky angles.

14

Daily Habits of Game-Changing Social Innovators

Design for America and Ashoka researched 2,000 social innovators of all ages and came up with this list of common habits they undertake daily. Take up these four Rs and you can become a better social innovator every single day:

Read

Reach out Reframe

Reect

onforb.es/Wq3R9Y

 TFF ChaLLENGE 2013