Rapidly expanding incomes in China have led to a changing diet,
with an increasing demand for protein, dairy, and processed
foods. With only 9% of the world’s arable land, China now
struggles to produce food for 20% of the global population, and
has become the world’s largest importer of agriculture. The
domestic food supply is challenged by the degradation of existing
agricultural lands along with the migration of youth to urban
areas; leaving an aging population to work on lands that are not
easily converted to mechanized agriculture. Unable to produce
enough meat, dairy and crops to satisfy growing demand, food
imports have doubled in just the past four years, primarily for
feeding livestock and aquaculture.
Best known for his aerial photography of environmental subjects, George Steinmetz is a regular contributor to National Geographic and the NY Times Magazines.
Born in Beverly Hills in 1957, George graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Geophysics. He began his career in photography after hitchhiking through Africa for 28 months. He pioneered the use of a motorized paraglider for photographing remote landscapes, and has published four books: African Air, Empty Quarter, Desert Air, and New York Air.
Awards National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year 2008
3 prizes from World Press Photo
Environmental Vision Award from Pictures of the Year
Thomson/Reuters 2017 Food Sustainability Media Award Winner
