Food Security, Nutrition, and Soy’s Versatile Role

Aug 02, 2023

Over the past decade, there has been an increasing focus on climate change and how to address this challenge. Much energy, time, and resources have been spent raising awareness and identifying and implementing solutions. In the face of more frequent extreme weather events, U.S. farmers and ranchers are working to nourish the world’s population in a sustainable manner. That need has been growing.

Food security, defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is the condition in which “all people, at all times, have physical, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food.”

The percentage of the world’s population affected by hunger has increased in recent years. According to the FAO, 573 million people were undernourished in 2017. That figure climbed to an estimated 768 million in 2021, around 10 percent of the world’s population.

In addition to the changing climate’s impact on farming, other factors contributing to the high level of food insecurity include conflict-affected states, which can disrupt food production and distribution, and economic inequality, which can lead to people being unable to afford adequate, nutritious food.

According to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, inadequate “nutrition is a leading cause of illness in the United States, associated with more than half a million yearly deaths” and is associated with greater health risks.

While the scale of food insecurity and its impacts can seem overwhelming, there are many different means to addressing it, including soy, a versatile, sustainable crop with a high yield potential.

Soybeans are a flexible, nutritious ingredient, containing high amounts of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can be transformed into a range of products for a variety of dietary needs and preferences. Soy also plays a crucial role in feeding livestock, and in aquaculture, helping close the “protein gap” in developing and emerging markets.Strong partnerships are key to soy’s role in helping feed the world’s growing population. In 2021, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH), convened U.S. farmers and other leaders across the soybean supply chain to address ways to increase soy exports to reach markets facing food insecurity.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.