Six macro trends depicting why future of food will look (very) different

Visions for food, image courtesy: WeVolve.us

Ville Tikka of WeVolve, a “change agency” that currently operates from Helsinki, spoke at the Food Conference in Helsinki on Jan 2012 about New Visions for Food. He pointed out interesting trends to speculate the future of food system, and I transcribed them here.

Climate Change – The changing climate and declining biodiversity will cause vast redistribution of food and water resources worldwide.

Urbanization – Increasing population condensation, growing physical distance between food production and consumption, and emerging urban agriculture solutions are all changing food systems.

Social web – Social web and other digital tools provide better, faster and scalable means for new co-creation, collaboration and participation throughout out the food system

Turbulent economy – As we are likely to move beyond a growth economy, an array of new economic models – ranging from wellbeing economics, sustaining economies, and collaborative exchange systems – will open opportunities for alternative food systems.

Depleting resources – entrenched consumer tastes are severely straining our current food systems. The forthcoming resource scarcities-depleting energy, water, land, etc. Resources are raising concerns about food insecurity and rising cost of food.

Polarization – There is no single food system: the divides between rich & poor, educated & uneducated, and healthy & ill are likely to expand, both locally and globally.

Retrieved on Mar 6, 2012 at Scribd via the post on WeVolve.

This very well underlines the mega-trend that we mankind need to both solve and dance with – we need to realize that this will happen and discover leverage points – a little more advanced version of if-you-can’t-avoid-it-enjoy-it heuristic. I am very much interested in the potential collaboration with WeVolve as Beef Finland evolves. See? Right there, it rhymed.

The full presentation is available for reading and download here.

Posted by Seungho Lee

I am a designer working in Helsinki, Finland. Currently, I am working for the Creative Sustainability master’s programme at Aalto University.

Posted by Seungho, 7 Mar 2012
  1. S / Sunday, May 19, 2013 All your education does, is allow for manipulation of stupid minds.  Your statistics mean nothing.  Stop your fear mongering tactics.  The key is balance and you are stupid if you think otherwise.  People need education about good food, Starting at home and in schools.  Abolish processed foods there's a good start. Unfortunately you would see a lot of hungry people  -people are stupid, they don't care. I work in the industry. People think good food is this processed shit.  All you people do is scare and mislead people.  I know too many people in Finland that are stupid vegetarians and vegans sharing the hype that you do.  The problem is they still eat processed rubbish, sure they cut meat out of their diets, but they look sick pale and malnourished because they haven't an understanding of balance & nutrition.  They don't think about what their body needs. I can tell you right now if I develop diabetes it's not because I eat too much meat or dairy, it's because I love food wine and beer I choose to enjoy my life. I support local producers and good farming methods.  I understand the need for sustainability. But maybe you should work in a real kitchen ie. one that feeds the same customers daily. Not your Michelin star and fine dining restaurants.
    Talk to people and stop dictating.  Somewhere you have an idea, but it won't ever be more than words and the support of naive minds. Jamie Oliver has an approach that is much more likeable and more achievable maybe you should take a page out of his book.
     
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