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The kind of food we eat and the way it is grown and consumed is proving to be very bad for the environment. In many cases it is also bad for our health.

The global food system is responsible for about a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions thus making a significant contribution to global warming.

Agriculture is a major contributor to Climate Change and also to our present state of bad health. The global population of 7.8 billion people is anticipated to rise to 10.9 billion by 2100. Over 800 million people world-wide suffer from hunger and many more from nutrient deficiencies. With 650 million people being obese and a further large number being overweight it is vital we find a way to produce our food that is sustainable and works for all of us.

The Effect on the Environment

The issues caused by industrial style agriculture (i.e. large scale chemically-intensive farming), particularly in the developed world, are many and serious.  They include the overuse of precious resources like water, the pollution of water sources with run-off from fertilised fields, the degradation of soil, the effect on our health of the use of pesticides, herbicides and the regular use of antibiotics on animals.  It also includes the horrendous treatment of animals that are being reared for food.

Cattle farming is particularly detrimental to the environment.  Meat eating is important in western countries and increasingly so in developing nations thus making it a major contributor of greenhouses gases. 

Cattle produce a large amount of methane through burping and flatulence.  (Methane is also a greenhouse gas, more potent than carbon dioxide but shorter-lasting in the atmosphere). A considerable amount of carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere through the clearing of land for cattle ranching and other types of farming, for example palm oil production.

Farming methods that contribute to global warming

This includes the management of manure, ploughing or tilling the soil and the use of farm equipment such as tractors and combine harvesters which burn fossil fuels. The use of chemical fertilisers and deep ploughing also degrades the soil and releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  Scientists are warning us that if we carry on as we are our soils will become less and less productive and ultimately fail us.

The Effects of Industrial Farming on our health

As well as being very bad for the health of the planet we are becoming increasingly aware that our present diets are toxic for our own health.

There are a number of important factors that we as individuals should think about when buying food:-

• Research has shown that regularly eating red and processed meat can raise the risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. So we need to drastically cut down our consumption of these types of meat.
• Other types of meat can also be affected by pesticide treated cereals and possibly antibiotics as well.
• The effects of pesticides on human health can be fairly drastic especially in the long term. They can include:

Cancer, brain and nervous system damage; birth defects; infertility and other reproductive problems; and damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and other body organs.

• Dairy products from industrially-farmed animals can also be contaminated with pesticides and of course with antibiotics.
• Vegetarian food is much kinder to the planet and will feed many more people for the same resources. It is even more beneficial for human health if it is organic. Organic food is much richer in nutrients and thus much better for us.  It usually tastes much nicer too.

What can you do?

Firstly, I know that what I suggest may be impossible for some. Organic food is more expensive than other food. Vegetables may be non-existent at your corner shop, a vegetable box may be out the window and a garden to grow vegetables a far-off dream.  As a Scot brought up on pots of homemade soup and sausages on a Thursday night if we were lucky! I understand these things can be difficult. Do what you can.

Give up or cut right down on your meat consumption, particularly beef.  This is possible the most important thing you can do both for you and the planet.

Eat organic if at all possible (I know it is expensive but it tastes so much better and the lack of pesticides makes it healthier). 

If you live in the countryside find out if your meat is produced from cows grazing on grass rather than eating imported grains.  Eat hill-raised lamb and wild venison if you must eat meat.

Think about becoming a vegetarian or a vegan and again, eat organic if you can.

Our soils are so depleted of nutrients now we need to eat much more than the “five a day” the dieticians are talking about. At least organic is better on this front.

Form a relationship with a local farmer.  Buy a Vegetable Box once a week or month. Find out about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) where you guarantee to buy food from them.

UK      https://communitysupportedagriculture.org.uk/what-is-csa/

America     https://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/community-supported-agriculture

Many other countries also have this kind of CSA.

Eat seasonally and locally.

Think carefully about food waste – buy less, get out your grandmother’s recipes for left-overs, build a compost heap in your garden or find out if the local Council will take your food waste.

It is said that we need to double our food production to feed all the extra mouths we will have but if we cut down on our global waste we won’t need to do this.

Plant your own vegetables.

Use supermarkets as little as possible. 

Find out what your local farmers are up to and don’t believe the supermarkets just because they have heart-warming pictures of “local farmers” on their products.  It may be true but it is always worth investigating!

Fish from the ocean may not be chemically treated and it can also be very good for our health.  However if you are buying fish please ensure you buy it from a fishmonger who thinks about where his fish stocks are coming from.  We have seriously over-fished our oceans and if we are to keep fish for future generations we need to think hard about what we eat.

Use the Power you have.

We all have to eat and the choices we make give us a lot of purchasing power. We need to use it.