Photo taken of farmland in rural Guatemala.

Do you ever wonder how on earth we are going to feed the world? With a population of 7 billion and growing every day, how will the world come up with enough food to feed its population?

Per a recent alarming UN report on global sustainability, the forecast is frightening:

“As the world’s population looks set to grow to nearly 9 billion by 2040 from 7 billion now, and the number of middle-class consumers increases by 3 billion over the next 20 years, the demand for resources will rise exponentially.

Even by 2030, the world will need at least 50 percent more food, 45 percent more energy and 30 percent more water, according to U.N. estimates, at a time when a changing environment is creating new limits to supply.

And if the world fails to tackle these problems, it risks condemning up to 3 billion people into poverty”.

The best produce in Guatemala is exported and the leftovers remain for the people.

Watch this very powerful video that shows the dire situation we are in. Yet there is hope as this is a solvable problem.

What is World Food Day?

October 16th marks World Food Day, a global movement to end hunger.  People around the world can be part of the movement by taking action in their communities and via social media to help promote awareness and help end world hunger.  For more information, click here.

A farmer and his wife in Guatemala.

Let’s meet Molly, a young girl living in a Kenyan slum, and see how food has helped her and other children living in poverty go to school, gain and education and hopefully a better life.

A peasant farm in Guatemala at the base of Santa Maria volcano.

Despite the fact that we currently have enough food to feed everyone, one billion of us still go to bed each night hungry. Even worse, about a third of the food produced for our plates ends up lost or wasted from farm and fork. Although all this news seems overwhelming and makes you ready to throw in the towel and give up, there is hope. We can all make a difference by taking little steps and making simple changes in the way we grow, cook, eat and store our food to be more sustainable.

Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization working in over 90 countries to create lasting solutions to end poverty, hunger and injustice. Oxfam America has launched a new campaign called the GROW Method which offers new set of principles to help people make everyday choices that can improve our global food system.

The GROW Method:

Interested in learning more about the GROW Method and incorporating it into your life? Check out these awesome resources and see how you can:

• GROW Method Pinterest Cookbook (Fantastic site with pins to recipes and ways to incorporate your leftovers into meals and reduce waste).
• GROW Method Facebook App (where you will you’ll find ways to get involved, recipes you’ll love, and videos worth sharing).
• Follow the World Food Day event on Facebook
• Download the World Food Day Discussion Guide
• Snap photos of your World Food Day meal on Instagram and tag them with #WFD2012, then check out our site (www.oxfamamerica.org/worldfoodday) to see photos from all over the world.

How are you going to make a dent in the food supply? Is there anything special you do to reduce waste? Any good recipes for leftovers that you want to share? Let me know…

This post is part of the Global Team of 200, a group of 200 women bloggers using their voice to promote social good and change.  To learn more, click here.