Some After Thoughts – the Live Below the Line challenge

I was asked when nearing the end of the final day of my challenge how my perspective had changed on the issue. Generally, I don't think my perspective has changed much but it has crystallized my thinking a lot. It also has me believing that the challenge of solving extreme poverty and the additional challenge of making sure that this world can provide the food that will be needed to feed future generations are more complicated than most people even want to contemplate.

Here are some thoughts that crossed my mind since completing my challenge on June 7.

1. Generalities make it easier: It is so much easier to deal with a serious problem if we can convince ourselves that our contribution of a few dollars, using reusable grocery bags, eating organic, or counting food miles is doing my part. The sad part is that, in some instances, our guilt is the only thing it eases.
   
   
2. The devil is in the details: The more we dig into the tangled mess of issues related to feeding everyone or making sure that each person has the ability to pay for food, we realize that there is not one silver bullet. In fact, the solution involves addressing a number of local issues as well as some global issues simultaneously. And it could very well involve substantial behavior change on the part of all of us. That can be what leads people to seek distractions and only stay at the surface of the issue.
   
   
3. We will likely have to contribute by giving some things up: By going through the Live Below the Line challenge, it made more clear to me that some personal sacrifice will be required from us in the developed world if we are serious about helping those simply unlucky to have been born in the wrong place. But then, it is also destabilizing to imagine that maybe it was just our good luck that allows us to be the ones who get to stop after a few days.
   
   
4. Getting attention in today's world is hard: There are so many things to pay attention to. It is easy also to go into this challenge thinking that surely everyone will see how important this issue is and will pay attention. A complex and very difficult-to-solve cause begs to be ignored by the somewhat satisfied in this world. Getting people to even notice is not easy with everything available that can use their time and money.
   
   
5. We need to be reminded of the difference between needs and wants: The beauty of having enough money is that we can select foods and other things we want at that point in time. That ability also moves us to a point where we begin to believe these wants are things we absolutely need. This confusion gives us permission to consume even more without realizing we really don't need what we just purchased. That extra consumption probably used resources and land that could have been used to feed someone else.
   
   
   

So how can we move things along when out-of-site and out-of-mind is so much easier? These following points are in no way exhaustive of the considerations going forward. Still, they reflect how easy society and the public can chase simple solutions without much impact.

• Need more food production: The world will need even more food than it currently produces in less than 40 years just to make progress. That also includes reducing the amount of food that gets wasted.
• We waste a lot of food: That is us, consumers. Probably, the most effective way to make more food available for those who really need it is to eat only what we really need and minimize what we need to throw out. Living below the line reminds you of the real value of food.
• Food trade is critical: Some parts of the world will never be able to feed themselves and will need to have food moved to them. In other words, some parts of the world, that have the capability, will need to produce more food than their part of the world needs if everyone is to be fed.
• Intensive but sustainable agriculture: If we want to preserve the environment and natural areas of the planet, it is essential that we find ways to produce more on the farmland we have. Not less. That means that the best production systems for the most productive and sustainable use of farm land needs to be developed using all available technologies. The approaches to food production will need to be appropriate for each set of local circumstances. And it includes both small and large farms.
• Minimizing energy impact: The most energy-conserving consumer food purchases are not always the ones that seem logical. For example, food miles as a means of determining what to buy often leads in the wrong direction. The fact is, generally, most of the energy used in providing food is in its production. In fact, the differences in energy used often are far greater than the energy used to get it to the grocery store. Life cycle analysis is what we all need to understand.
• Minimizing environmental impact: Minimizing environmental impact does not always mean small processing units and small farms. A larger farm with optimized yields and a well thought out environmental plan will have a much lower environmental impact on a per -unit-of-production basis. Small processors and farmers may seem environmentally romantic but not always the most environmentally-friendly route considering how much food is needed. But helping disadvantaged small farmers improve their production capability is definitely part of the solution.
• Affordable healthy food and water: The criteria for choosing what to eat gets very simple when their isn't much money. That is eat what you can afford and satisfies your hunger. Even taste and quality, while still important, are secondary and tomorrow is for tomorrow to worry about. Location of origin and method of production becomes irrelevant. And access to fresh water definitely makes life more bearable.
• Economic opportunities for all: The importance of developing the opportunity to have the ability-to-pay for everyone is critical. Even the extremely poor crave independence and self-sufficiency.

The bottom line for everyone to consider is this. It is a moral imperative for all of us to understand more deeply than ever what the impacts of our actions are. The availability and the ability-to-pay for all is too important for us to leave to governments, special interest groups, and industry. We are all residents of this planet and we all need to be more knowledgeable and understand the consequences of our decisions. After all, every choice has an incremental impact elsewhere. That means we have to become more aware of the importance of consuming only what we need and thinking twice about the global impact of buying what we really don't need.

The Live Below the Line challenge provides the opportunity to really live a cause while at the same time addressing equally critical components to any solution. That is raising awareness to the problem and raising money to help move some projects forward. I have no doubts that I will participate again.

https://www.livebelowtheline.com/me/azantinge?lang=en