Paper short abstract:

This paper studies interactions of climate, population, economic development, social unrest, and finite resource limitations on food systems; offers anthropological electronic MOOC education; and presents field trials data to accelerate shared food system problem solutions among small indigenous farmers.

Paper long abstract:

With climate change, population growth, economic development, political competition, and finite resource limitations all impacting the world food system, anthropology has a key role to play in catalyzing sustainable solutions to world food problems. Our emphasis on evolutionary models, holistic bio-cultural perspectives, and sensitivity to socio-cultural diversity at local and other levels makes anthropology particularly suitable to help clarify the many questions, strategic decisions and alternative solutions that will be necessary to achieve food security, safety and sustainability. This paper clarifies key problems, analyzes the potential solutions that we are now encountering, and lays out a set of potential means to dramatically increase the anthropological expertise that could help address the problem. It proposes the development of MOOC-like macro electronic educational programs and presents our latest data on field trials to accelerate the development and sharing of solutions, while simultaneously increasing the numbers of trained anthropologists to transfer and exchange knowledge necessary to solve food system problems among small and indigenous farmers.