Can Minnesota help solve global food insecurity?

Every year, more food is grown around the world.

Yet, every year, billions of people go to sleep hungry.

This disconnect between production and consumption or "food insecurity" is one of the top humanitarian crises that devastates communities on a global scale, and Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says Minnesota can play a leading role correcting it.

"Minnesota is a key place when it comes to addressing food security," Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview. "It's not just a global issue, it's a local issue."

Not that it will be easy to tackle, even with food giants like Cargill and General Mills pledging action.

About 900 million people faced food insecurity in 2022, according to the U.N., and 3.1 billion could not afford a healthy diet. Those figures remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

Meanwhile, global agricultural output has consistently grown over the years, according to federal data.

Meeting with Cargill, General Mills and other academic, nonprofit and government members of the MBOLD food and agriculture coalition on Wednesday, Thomas-Greenfield said partnerships like those seen in Minnesota are crucial to more equitably bring food from "farm to fork."

"They're doing exactly what we hoped they would do," she said, about the state's food companies, and agencies. "They're unified in their efforts and goals to achieve a better way to provide food for 9 billion people around the world."

Not only does more food need to be produced to feed a growing global population, but it must be done more sustainably, Thomas-Greenfield said. Technology, including artificial intelligence, has to be part of the solution, she said.

Cargill's vice president of environmental sustainability, Heather Tansey, said regenerative agriculture was a key topic during the ambassador's visit, as was the adage "think global, act local."

"It's a combination of having your microscope and telescope with you," Tansey said. Despite the economic challenges facing farmers and consumers alike, Tansey said she feels optimistic when looking through those wide and narrow lenses.

"It's that regenerative agriculture piece, that systemic change to help agriculture address climate change and make those farmers more resilient," she said.

Cargill and other companies like Land O'Lakes, are paying farmers to offset the costs and short-term yield losses that crop up when switching to regenerative practices, while General Mills has committed to adding substantial regenerative acreage to its supply chain.

On the consumer end of the supply chain, where hunger stretches from Minnesota to the Global South, the focus is on keeping food shelves and programs stocked and ensuring food is transported efficiently, Tansey said.

"The discussion really felt focused on addressing farmers' challenges and getting food into the mouths of people who don't have access to it," she said.

Thomas-Greenfield has focused on food insecurity since she was tapped for the ambassadorship more than three years ago and stressed "you can't solve it in one meeting." But she still saw a model this week for how it could be done.

"[Minnesotans] are partnering with each other and starting to figure out how we can produce more, how we can be more efficient in the production of food, how we can address some of the technological challenges," she said. "They left me with a lot of food for thought."