Initially, there will be regional failures due to increased population, greater demand for resources, a dwindling supply of fresh water, land scarcity, overextraction of minerals, soil erosion, ocean acidity, and the coming climate change.

Essentially, Cribb believes that there can be no peace in the world until people address the food shortage problem forthrightly. Food First by Lappe' has a series of strategies aimed at doing just that. The solution, according to Lappe' is to de-corporatize food production and place the function and the technology back into the hands of millions of local farmers and neighborhood food growers.