Agriculture is responsible for about a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions from livestock to landfill to gas supply chains. What we eat does not always come with a healthy carbon footprint. Eating fresh food isn’t just good for your health. It is also better for the environment.
The ever-growing global population of over 7.8 billion people is nourished and sustained by agriculture. This is a very heavy burden because it involves lots of labor and costly resources. The excess of food in high-income countries hides and overshadows the unsustainable methods used in food production. With a full belly, many people do not question or bother to find out how their food is produced or where it comes from.
In developed countries, food production is governed and controlled by large conglomerates working hand in hand with agribusinesses. To produce large quantities of food at low costs, these corporations rely on unsustainable methods, ignoring environmental health while exploiting lands and animals. These large corporations and agribusiness continue using these food production methods, knowing fully well that their actions are damaging the environment for us and future generations. They can afford to ignore these signs because governments and food authorities back them. So this article will address how we can make food production more sustainable. To start, let’s define what it means by sustainable food production.
What is sustainable food production?
For every action, there must be a reaction. So, sustainable food production comes as a reaction to the damage that corporations are causing to the food systems. It is a means of feeding the world’s population without causing much damage to the environment or depleting natural reserves. It works in harmony with the surrounding ecosystems and avoids the use of toxins, chemicals, and pesticides in the farming process. Sustainable food production prioritizes the health and wellbeing of people, animals, and the environment over profits while empowering local farms.
5 Ways To Create a More Sustainable Food System
Now, let’s look at the ways through which we can build better sustainable food systems:
Optimize Agricultural Land Use
Farmers can get the most out of their fields by using land-sparing strategies. This is especially great to boost drylands yields by optimizing the usage of water and soil. Using these techniques, farmers are able to get more yields out of less land.
Sustainable land management will reduce the land we use for agriculture, protecting surrounding ecosystems. Optimization of agricultural land use can also be done by using satellites to monitor crops. This will help farmers practice precision farming, needed less human labor and costly resources. It gives farmers the data necessary to make precise and informed decisions at the right time. Also, satellite monitoring of agricultural fields uses little to no fossil fuel, thereby reducing our carbon footprint.
Use sustainable Ingredients
Producing some food such as cocoa, palm oil, and coffee raises lots of sustainability and environmental concerns more than others. While farming these products, farmers need to cut down many trees that destroy different ecosystems, and lots of man labor is required.
Fishing is another human activity that raises lots of sustainability concerns. People have exploited more than 90 percent of the world’s fisheries. This has led to the extinction and endangerment of some fish species.
Authorities that control this sector can enact laws that protect fisheries from overexploitation and eradicate child labor in agriculture.
Build stronger local and circular food systems
Creating circular and long-lasting food systems following the ultimate guide to the food science industry ensures that nutrients stay in the loop and are used every step of the way. This food system ensures that the environment is not over-exploited and minerals are returned to the soil. It also provides lots of job opportunities for locals and reduces the amount of food imported into the country.
Reduce food waste
Inefficiency during processing and manufacturing is one of the primary causes of food waste. This process can be made efficient by optimizing its processes and management systems. To do this, they need first to find out why there is food loss and measure it. Also, they need to ensure that the workers are well trained to handle work processes efficiently.
Optimize the Supply Chain
Lots of the food produced is not eaten and thrown away. Wich means throwing away food and the hard work, resources, and money spent on growing the crops. According to research, much of this loss comes from the supply chain. That is why it is crucial to improve the efficiency of food systems and supply networks. It will improve accessibility, and the food produced will be able to reach far and wide without any wastage.
Food sustainability is an ongoing process that requires constant innovation. Lots of food production systems are in place, which is not supposed to exist due to the havoc they cause to the environment and our health. That is why we need more sustainable systems to provide food for us and future generations.
