THE ECOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE - SUSTAINABLE FOOD


THE ECOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE - SUSTAINABLE FOOD

The term sustainability was coined in the seventeenth century by Germany.  Forestry experts had to indicate the number of trees which could be felled in a sustainable manner, i.e. only those which would be able to grow back within an acceptable period of time.
The meaning was then extended to indicate a type of development which satisfies current needs, without diminishing the possibilities for future generations to satisfy the same needs.
From a nutritional point of view, sustainability implies the adoption of a lifestyle which foresees:
  • an equal distribution of food resources, in a world where over 800 million people suffer from malnourishment - social aspect;
  • the choice of a quality and quantity of food which ensures an adequate and optimal diet (which can prevent degenerative diseases linked to diet, typical of affluent countries) - health aspect;
  • a sustainable environmental impact - ecological aspect.
Once, many societies strongly valued community and balance between nature and humans. With industrial modernization, the philosophy changed to conquering or controlling nature via education, "objective" science, new technology, and new ideology emphasizing individualism. Education in the fields of agriculture, soil science, genetics, and food science greatly expanded . The promotion of new methods for increased food production - technology, processing, storage, and distribution were explored.

Misuse and overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides contributed heavily to the degradation of many farms and waterways in developing countries. 

According to the World Watch Institute, the human appetite for animal flesh is a driving force behind virtually every major category of environmental damage now threatening the human future: deforestation, erosion, fresh water scarcity, air and water pollution, climate change, biodiversity loss, social injustice, the destabilization of communities, and the spread of disease.

National and international organizations of concerned citizens agitated for the creation of policies and laws that supported new environmentally safe approaches to producing food and fiber - and that would ensure the livelihood of farmers and vibrant rural communities.

Thus, a sustainable food system is a system that sustains people as well as the land.

Now, developed countries have plenty of ingredients around and do not suffer from long-term hunger, but rather diseases from overconsumption of processed food. We must assure that our future generations have diverse natural resources for their adequate nutrition and that the environment thrives, instead of turning into a health-harming toxic place to exist.

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