Can we feed everyone?

CrowdScience

BBC

Science, Technology

4.8 • 985 Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, 800 million people are going to bed hungry every night, but 2 billion people in the world are malnourished. Farmers across the globe produce enough food to feed 10 billion people, yet there are only 7.6 billion of us.

We know there is enough food to go around, but filling tummies is only the start – we also need a varied diet. CrowdScience visits Nairobi during GGIAR Science Week, a hub for agricultural scientists. They are meeting to discuss the changes needed to get the right crops into the soil and the right food on the plates of those who need it.

Presenters Anand Jagatia and Alex Lathbridge are joined by a live audience and a panel of experts Lindiwe Sibanda, Sieglinde Snapp and Alex Awiti. Together they explore questions from our listeners in Kenya and around the world: whether we can restore natural habitats whilst promoting food security; why human waste isn’t used more commonly as a fertiliser; and what impact empowering women in agriculture will have on our ability to feed the world.

Recorded at CGIAR Science Week at the UN headquarters in Nairobi.

Image: Drone view of tractor ploughing a field Image Credit: Justin Paget via Getty Images Presenters: Anand Jagatia & Alex Lathbridge Producer: Harrison Lewis Editors: Martin Smith & Cathy Edwards Production Co-ordinators: Ishmael Soriano & Josie Hardy Studio Managers: Gayl Gordon, Andrew Garratt & Sarah Hockley

Transcript

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0:00.0	If a Banksy appeared on your house, you'd be sitting on a fortune, right?
0:07.0	At first you think you're gifted, but you're actually not.
0:10.5	This is a tale of two murals, Margate's Valentine's Day Mascara and the lowest off seagull.
0:17.3	And the true cost of free art for the people who have to live with it.
0:21.5	40,000 pounds cost per annum.
0:23.8	We didn't know what to do.
0:25.5	Nobody's turned up to say, we'll help you protect it.
0:29.0	The Banksy story.
0:30.3	When Banksy comes to town, listen on BBC Sounds.
0:35.2	Ahia, aye.
0:36.9	Wan wadi, one wadi, kaiesu, one. BBC Sounds.
0:49.5	Hello and welcome to crowd science from the BBC World Service, the show that tries to satisfy hungry minds. I'm Annan Jagatia and I'm Alex Lafbridge and this episode is coming to you from
0:56.1	Nairobi Kenya in front of a fantastic live audience. Can we have a cheer audience? Thank you all for
1:06.4	being here with us in Nairobi. We're recording at the UN headquarters here as part of CGIAR Science Week,
1:13.0	an event that's brought leading scientists together from around the world to discuss
1:17.1	agriculture, health and climate. As I've been wandering around this beautiful UN complex,
1:22.4	which is a mix of brutalist architecture and lush greenery and waterways, I've seen people
1:27.0	talking about disease
1:27.8	resistant corn, people wearing VR headsets who understand water management, and I spoke to somebody
1:33.2	about feeding livestock beneficial bacteria instead of antibiotics. That's really cool. I saw some stuff
1:39.0	about genetics, which was really interesting. I forgot the exact details because I also saw a really
1:43.7	big yam.
	...

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