Food could be the real answer

How can we feed the world? View in web browser.

Dear Friend Of National Geographic, When I say food, what do you think of? Your favorite comfort food? Social gatherings? Family traditions? Food is such a central part of our lives. It's also a critical issue facing our planet. When we think of environmental threats, we tend to think of energy use, water and air pollution, or industrial waste. But the truth is, our growing need for food and the environmental challenges posed by agriculture are some of the biggest challenges we need to address. This year, National Geographic is exploring how we can feed two billion more people by 2050 without harming the planet. You can support National Geographic's programs, including our work toward finding better ways to produce and consume food in ways that don't harm the planet, by making your tax-deductible contribution online now. Here's a sample of the kind of work our grantees are doing,  supported by your donation: Helping farmers develop tools for designing sustainable agricultural systems based on the diversity and stability of local ecosystems, in places like Malawi, where agriculture has been winnowed down to the production of primarily one crop – corn. Discovering, recording, and using traditional knowledge about medicinal and edible plants from cultures as diverse as the Sioux in South Dakota and native Jamaicans in the bio-diverse parish of Portland. Examining the trade-offs of organic farming versus genetically modified crops for farmers and the environment in places like India. Your gift will help us continue National Geographic's programs, including exploring ways to double the availability of food to feed a predicted population of nine billion, while simultaneously cutting the environmental harms caused by agriculture. Please make your gift today. Discovering low-input, high-output food cultivation practices and disseminating them to small farmers across the planet will both reduce agriculture's significant contribution to climate change and provide a healthier diet for millions of people. It will also add to our knowledge about how what we put into our bodies contributes to how we feel and function on a daily basis, and ultimately the length of our life. Please help support our programs, including our work related to food and sustainability. Thank you for all you do to preserve and protect our planet. Sincerely, Sarah Stallings Director, Annual Giving P.S. The food we eat impacts our own health, just as the production of food impacts the overall health of our planet. Please support our programs, including scientific work to understand how food may hold the answers to some of our greatest challenges. Thank you!

Did you know? The National Geographic Society is a nonprofit organization that relies on the generous contributions of individuals to help us inspire people to care about the planet. All donations support National Geographic's core programs, including scientific research expeditions, education initiatives, public programs, and the exploration behind stories in National Geographic magazine, on the National Geographic Channel, and other media. Through our work, we help others learn and care about our world, and take action to protect it. Your donation helps us expand our efforts to fund the world's top and emerging scientists, explorers, photographers, and storytellers to discover long-sought answers about our past and solutions to guide our future. The National Geographic Society is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization. You are receiving this email because bpi.hgmp.jusgein@blogger.com is signed up to receive National Geographic communications. If you prefer not to receive emails from us, please unsubscribe. To ensure that you receive your National Geographic emails, please add ngs@e.nationalgeographic.com to your address book now. Learn how. Contact Us | About Us | NGS Customer Service | Privacy Policy National Geographic | 1145 17th Street N.W. | Washington, D.C. 20036 Copyright © 2014 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.