Food Sustainability Flashcards

Food Sustainability

Food Sustainability Overview

• Food Sustainability
• Food Insecurity
• Industrial agriculture
• Organic
• Sustainable agriculture
• Locally grown foods
• Community supported agriculture

Objectives

• Discuss the effects of industrial agriculture on food security, food diversity, and the environment.
• Discuss the benefits of sustainable agriculture.
• Identify several steps you can take to make more sustainable food choices.

Food Production and Sustainability

• Sustainability is defined as producing food, plants, and animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, the public, the community, and animal welfare.
• Before food appears on our plates, it involves:
  • Planting with machinery and fertilizers.
  • Watering.
  • Growing with fertilizers.
  • Harvesting with machinery.
  • Processing and packaging using factory equipment.
  • Distribution involving fuel use.
  • Consumption.
  • Disposal of food and package waste.

Why Sustainability Matters

• The world population is growing.
• Sustainable food systems are crucial to feed the growing population and limit climate change effects.
• How food is produced, grown, what types of foods are consumed, and food waste all impact the world's food systems.

Food Insecurity

• Food Insecurity: unreliable access to a sufficient supply of nourishing food.
• Consequences:
  • Undernourishment
  • Increased infant mortality
  • Decreased life expectancy
  • Obesity
• High-risk groups:
  • Developing countries
  • Incomes below the poverty level
  • Families with single parents
  • Those in rural areas
  • Individuals with chronic diseases or disabilities
  • Elderly
  • Individuals with addictions

Food Insecurity Statistics

• Food insecurity: unreliable access to a sufficient supply of nourishing food
• Approximately 17.4 million U.S. households (roughly 14%) experienced food insecurity in 2011.
• About 6.8 million households experienced very low food security, where eating patterns were disrupted, and food intake was reduced.
• Households with lower incomes are at higher risk.
• Breakdown of Food Insecurity:
  • 14% of households are food-insecure.
  • 5.6% of households have very low food security.
  • 8.4% of households have low food security.
  • 86% of households are food-secure.

Improving Access to Healthy Food

• Healthy corner stores
• Grocery stores
• Mobile food trucks
• Improve transportation access
• Urban and community gardens

Food Production Choices: Conventional Agriculture

Conventional Agriculture History

• Began after World War II.
• Goal was to increase worldwide food production to meet the increasing post-war population.
• Development of fertilizers, pesticides, and farming techniques significantly boosted food production.
• Large, confined farms raised cattle, chickens, and pigs.
• The population started relying more on fast food and processed food.

Conventional Agriculture Characteristics

• High production/low cost.
• Use of pesticides (chemicals to control pests).
• Use of fertilizers to add nutrients back to the soil.
• Powerful machinery requiring substantial fuel.
• Large acreages to maximize production, leading to deforestation.
• Monoculture: growing the same crop repeatedly, depleting soil nutrients.
• Bioengineered: Genetically modified organisms.

Environmental Impacts of Conventional Agriculture

• Deforestation and overgrazing destroy trees and roots that preserve the soil.
• Cash crops such as cotton, coffee, or tobacco are grown instead of food crops.
• Growing food for livestock requires significant water and food resources, feeding fewer people.

Consequences of Conventional Agriculture

• Depletion of topsoil
• Pollution of soils and water due to pesticides, fertilizer, and animal waste
• Depletion of groundwater through irrigation
• Many crops are used for animal feed
• Insecticide-resistant species of insects are increasingly common
• Increased greenhouse gases from mechanized production and methane released from animals

Impact on Food Diversity

• Reduced food diversity after the 1960s revision to the Farm Bill, which provided financial incentives for farms to grow single crops.
• Decrease in small farms.
• Increase in corn, soybeans, wheat, and rice production.
• No subsidies were paid for the production of fresh fruits and vegetables, leading to a decline in these crops and diminished food diversity.

Pesticides

• Pesticides protect against crop losses, reduce disease incidence, and increase crop yields.
• Common types:
  • Insecticides: control insects that infest crops.
  • Herbicides: control weeds.
  • Fungicides: control plant-destroying fungal growth.
• Pesticides can be natural or synthetic.
• Synthetic pesticides, made from petroleum-based products, can harm the environment by polluting soils, water, plants, and animals.
• Residues can remain as toxins on foods.
• Regulated by the EPA.

Reducing Exposure to Pesticides

• Eat organic foods.
• Wash and scrub all fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Remove and discard outer leaves and skin.
• Eat a variety of foods from various sources.

Growth Hormones and Antibiotics

• Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a genetically engineered growth hormone given to cows to increase muscle mass, decrease fat, and increase milk production.
• One-third of all U.S. dairy cows receive rBGH.
• Risks to humans are still being studied.
• Antibiotics are routinely given to animals raised for food to reduce disease outbreaks.
• Risks to humans include the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or “superbugs.”
• Exposure to growth hormones and antibiotics can be reduced by selecting organic foods, free-range meats, and vegetarian meals.

Food Industry Influences

• Food industry lobbyists spend millions each year on livestock, dairy, sugar, and beer, wine, and liquor.
• The food and beverage industry spends money to influence voters and block proposals to heavily tax sugar-sweetened beverages.
• Lobbying Expenditures:
  • Livestock: 2.9 million
  • Dairy: 7 million
  • Sugar: 10.3 million
  • Food manufacturers: 18.3 million
  • Beer, wine, and liquor: 25 million

Organic Foods

• Organic foods are produced according to the Organic Foods Production Act.
• Prohibitions:
  • Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, genetically modified organisms, or irradiation cannot be used.
• Farming practices:
  • Biological pest management
  • Composting
  • Manure applications
  • Crop rotation: alternating crops grown in a field to prevent nutrient depletion and erosion and control crop-specific pests.
• Organic meat, poultry, and eggs come from animals allowed to graze outdoors and fed only organic feed.
• Organic foods have the same nutrient content as non-organic foods.
• For example, organic carrots have the same amount of vitamins, minerals, and energy as non-organic carrots.

Sustainable Agriculture

• Sustainable Agriculture:
  • Satisfies human food needs.
  • Enhances environmental quality.
  • Efficiently uses nonrenewable resources.
  • Sustains the economic viability of farm operations.
  • Enhances the quality of life of farmers and society.

Benefits of Sustainable Agriculture

• Preserves the environment by producing crops and animals without relying on chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
• Protects public health by preventing pesticides and fertilizers from contaminating the water supply.
• Provides community benefits by employing farmers, farmworkers, and food processors.
• Ensures animal welfare by allowing animals to move freely and avoiding the stress of confinement.
• Improves health by reducing obesity, CVD, cancer, and malnutrition.
• Optimizes land, energy, and water use.
• Supports the local economy.
• Supports access to healthy, whole, nutritious foods.

Sustainable Agriculture Implementation

• Agroforestry: Planting trees around farms reduces soil erosion.
• Increase crop and livestock diversity to restore nutrients to the soil.
• Use organic farming practices.
• Use clean energy sources.
• Use smarter irrigation techniques.
• Support small-scale farmers who grow fruits and vegetables for human consumption.

Local Foods

• Locally grown foods support local farmers.
• Fresher
• Avoid added transportation costs.
• Helps the environment.
• Home gardening.

Food Production Choices: National Farm to School Program

• Partnership between local farms and schools.
• Local foods are purchased, promoted, and served in cafeterias or as snacks/taste tests.
• School gardens offer hands-on learning.
• Expose kids to new fruits and vegetables.
• Benefits:
  • Students have access to healthy, local foods.
  • Educational opportunities through school gardens, cooking lessons, and farm field trips.
  • Education related to agriculture, food, health, and nutrition.

Meat Consumption and Climate Change

• Livestock generate greenhouse gases (responsible for global warming) such as carbon dioxide and methane (released from animals).
• Land degradation: 30% of the earth’s land is used for pasture or feed production.
• Beef production uses 160 times more land than plant foods.
• Reduces the capture of CO_2 performed by plants.
• Beef uses 8 times more water than plant foods.
• Animal waste can wash into water supplies.

How Can We Help? Food Sustainability

• Follow a plant-based diet or limit portion sizes of animal products.
• Buy local and in season.
• Eat whole foods, minimize processed foods.
• Use foods with minimal or recyclable packaging.
• Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture program).
• Eat organic foods.
• Grow foods, such as potted herbs or tomato plants.
• Support community gardens.
• Decrease bottled beverage use due to heavy fuel consumption in shipping.
• Breastfeeding infants reduces food miles from "farm to fork".
• Purchase food from local producers.

Tips for Being Sustainable at Home

• Gardening: use potted plants, vertical gardens.
• Compost food waste.
• Use reusable bags.
• Use refillable water bottles.
• Understand growing seasons:
  • Roots, stems, and leaves: colder seasons
  • Fruits: warmer seasons
• Buy in-season foods and preserve foods for later seasons by freezing, pickling, or canning.

Where to Buy Sustainable Foods

• Farmers Markets: producers gather to sell goods locally.
• CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture): farmers sell shares to the public, consisting of a weekly box of produce.
• Food Co-ops: Usually favor local and sustainable products.
• Pick-Your-Own Farms: Allow customers to pick their own produce, which is extremely fresh and less costly than pre-picked produce.
• Grocery stores: many are selling locally grown produce and products; look for signs indicating the name of the local farm and distance from the store.
• Gardening: backyards, rooftops, window sills, community gardens.

UB’s Sustainability Initiatives

• Food waste is composted or recycled, greatly reducing landfill use.
• Sell refillable mugs
• Reverse vending machines
• Garden?
• Green dish rooms reduce water usage.

Reducing Food Waste

• Saves money
• Reduces methane emissions from landfills
• Conserves energy and resources
• Prevents pollution involved in manufacturing, transporting, and disposing of food waste

Strategies for Reducing Food Waste

• Make shopping lists.
• Buy only what you need and will use.
• Plan your meals for the week before shopping.
• Check home first to avoid buying food you already have.
• Freeze food if you're unsure when you will eat it.
• Make smoothies with fruit that is too ripe to eat.
• Have a leftovers night

Websites

• https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/greener-living
• http://www.farmtoschool.org/
• www.slowfoodusa.org