Texas A&M: Pandemic Preparedness - How Local Food Production & Vertical Farming Can Fix A Weakening Supply Chain
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Penned by our CEO, Eddy Badrina, on the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at The Bush School of Government & Public Service Blog
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues in uncertainty, there is one fact that is undeniable: it has amplified the food insecurity crisis that has been looming on a global scale. The pandemic has exposed the weaknesses of a food supply chain that is highly dependent on global imports, and on domestic food sources that are still thousands of miles away from the consumer. The global consumer, for the most part, has enjoyed cheaper price points for basic foodstuffs, and a more varied selection in the marketplace. However, that access has been a temporary illusion: we are now seeing that the current supply chain is too delicate to withstand pandemic-like external forces, and is not nimble enough to shift from food service to grocery retail and local markets….