Our system for getting food is one that is not only complex, but also contributes to our climate crisis in many ways. The list goes on, from meat consumption, pesticide use and the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere upon agricultural practices. My vision is to have a world where sustainable farming practices are globally used. Agricultural is used and largely backed by the growing demand for more and more food as our global population grows. As this demand grows and government policies lack harsh consequences we consistently see how harsh farming practices are continued to be utilized, from excessive pesticide use to harmful treatment of animals.
My values include not only eating and valuing food in a way that is just and deserving, but also implementing practices in your own life to support sustainable farming. This means anything from shopping local, "knowing your farmer," and reducing meat consumption.
In Terms of intervention, throwing money at the problem isn't going to solve it. Change is rooted in government policies implementing a reason to make agricultural practices more sustainable. We often look for a "smoking gun"/ root of each agricultural issue. However, this does not need to be found in order to push for change. Sticking to what we know about the affects farming and other agricultural practices on dangers such as greenhouse emissions, is enough to begin change. #UnleashValues #Change #food #agriculture
100% agree with your values, reduction and knowing local farmers is key.
Going to your local farmers market is always a good idea, most of the time the prices are competitive and the produce is very good, much better than supermarket quality. This is just one example where shopping locally is both good for the consumer and for the planet.
Hi Maria, your point about local farming is super important. Here in Canada, we have labour standards, health, and safety standards for working on farms. Buying produce from across the border may send money to an economy that purposefully deregulates to increase profit. This has a profound impact on the workers rights and value of their work for fruit picking or labouring on a farm.
Hi Maria! Great post! I agree with your idea that we don't need to wait for the 'smoking gun' to be published to make a global change but rather, we can start to make changes in our lifestyles and in our community by doing the things we already know will have a positive impact on the environment and climate.
Hi Maria! I agree with you completely that a "smoking gun" is not necessary for change to occur and that beginning to implement change as soon as we see problems is definitely a mindset we need to orient ourselves towards. As well, shopping local is such a great idea as it's so easy to do and we're able to support the farmers that supply directly to us rather than big corporations in another region.
Creating a sustainable agriculture industry in a global economy is very challenging, especially when it comes to CO2 emissions. Kurzgesargt made a video on the subject and mentioned that due to the incredible efficiency of shipping boats, most of the CO2 emissions come from the last mile of transportation.
You're right Maria, as purchasers, we only have to go and pay for the food. But we don't know how much it costs to produce food, the use of water, the use of feed, and even the cost of transportation. These are all costs that we don't know about. Understanding the whole process of these foods can make us appreciate these hard-earned foods more and pay more attention to the sustainability of food and agriculture.
I completely agree! Most of us know nothing about the food we eat, including where it came from, how it was grown, and the conditions in which it was grown in. We take food for granted and don't ask questions because we don't have to, all we need to do is go to the local shop, swipe our card, and come back home.
Hi Maria, I have to say that I completely agree that shopping local is important and "knowing your farmer" is even more important. At least, this way you know how your food was grown.
I think the title of your post is very powerful. Many people have their own personal stress and focus all their attention on what they pay at the grocery store and not at what environmental impacts their goods had. Of course it is completely understandable to focus on how much food costs as many people are struggling to feed themselves and/or their family, but spreading awareness is nevertheless important if we hope to switch to regenerative agriculture
I really like the last part of your post about how we don't need the "smoking gun" to push for change! I agree and think that many times people wait for a sign to appear before starting to ask for change even though sometimes those signs are a signal that something is too far gone.