By Zach Archambault MOCCASIN, Montana—by the year 2055 the earth will have 10 billion mouths to feed—2.4 billion more than there are now; how will we feed them? Darryl Grove, the Farm Operations Manager at the Central Montana Agricultural Research Center, told us “that's what you're going to college to figure out,” but I think the solution to this problem doesn't require a college education. A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization stated that across the globe we waste: “about a third of the planet's [food] production,” and an article published by National Geographic—which cited the same report—stated that much of this food is wasted due to “aesthetic reasons,” and is “enough to feed 2 billion people.” At the Laurel Famer’s Market in Laurel, Montana, a wheelbarrow full of slightly discolored, deformed, or damaged yellow and green zucchini, peppers, and cabbage sits untouched, waiting to be thrown out or given away. “Nobody’ll buy them,” an employee of the farm said, “even though they taste just as good [as aestheticly pleasing vegetables].” Now the question of feeding a growing population seems less daunting. Again, how will we feed another billion people? Ugly food is the answer. Another green revolution isn't imperative in solving this impending global crisis (although it's still something to strive for). Will people make the switch to eating so-called ugly foods? I believe so. It took around ten years for Timeless Seeds' worst selling lentil, Black Beluga Lentils, to become their most popular. If people are willing to make a change to eat ugly black legumes, then they should also be willing to eat shorter bananas, discolored oranges, hail-damaged zucchinis, and deformed peppers. In the face of a growing population, we cannot afford to waste anything that we produce. We cannot afford to squander resources and time in a changing and volatile climate. So let’s not. Let’s eat ugly food.
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