How A Sustainable Food System Is Built
From the ground up.
We all eat food. Most of us every day. Most of us several times a day.
Food is undoubtedly one of the most constant and impactful aspects of our lives.
And the ways that we produce — and consume it— are impactful as well.
We all know about climate change. Agricultural activities (crop, livestock and fossil fuel) contribute approximately 25% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions — yet around 1/3 of all food is wasted.
15% of the world’s land surface area has been degraded by soil erosion and physical and chemical degradation, while even more is at risk.
Industrial agriculture is using more and more toxic chemicals to control weeds and pests, which put the environment, agricultural workers and consumers at risk.
Farmers now earn less in every dollar that we spend on food, despite rising costs of living, as big companies squeeze (and squeeze).
Rural communities are collapsing, the quality and diversity of food that we produce (and thus eat) is constantly decreasing, neoliberal policies have seen small farmers displaced coupled with a rapid rise in the rate of rural-urban migration.
The rural poor are poorer than ever before, food security issues are rife and malnutrition is one the rise.
Meanwhile, both producers and consumers are disenchanted and dissatisfied with the current state of the industry and the way it’s structured.
In short, many aspects of the way that we produce and consume food is not sustainable.
Something (i.e. a lot of things) needs to change.
Sustainable Agriculture Isn’t Simple
But it’s necessary. Very necessary.
Defining Sustainable Agriculture
I’ve defined sustainable agriculture before but I’ll do so here again, so that we’re all on the same page.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
