The daily effort to satisfy the collective appetite of humanity is leading to deforestation, erosion, extinction and the massive release of greenhouse gases. By changing the way, we eat, reduce poverty, sequester greenhouse gases, conserve wild environments and put organic matter back into the soil. If they feed us a growing and hungry world and improve the planet we live in, major changes in the way we grow and what we eat will need to be made.
We need to produce 50 to 90 percent more food to feed the expected 9 billion people who will inhabit our earth by 2050. If these numbers explain the trend to eat more meat and dairy products, it is the most wasteful and the less ecological forms of food production. To prevent more land from being converted to agricultural land, there is a need to improve food quality.
1. Reduce Food Waste:
To avoid buying more food than you need, visit the grocery store every few days rather than doing bulk purchases once a week. Turning food waste into useful items, finding buyers for foods that would rot in fields if not sold, selling inconsistent fruits and vegetables. By thinking more about the food your household wastes each day, you can help create positive change to conserve some planet’s most precious resources. In the way you shop, cook, and consume food will help reduce your impact on the environment. It doesn’t have to be difficult. With a little effort, you can reduce your food waste, save money and time, and help bring relief to Mother Nature.
2. Transform diets into more plant foods:
A diet rich in meat is wasteful. The meat of cattle, sheep and goats uses precious resources and the demand for meat and dairy products continues to grow. The only way more people can access animal protein is for other people to eat less. Today there are more meat alternatives available that taste like meat, including vegan products.
3. Boost crop yields:
Increasing agriculture production without increasing the amount of land use is the key to feeding a hungry world. Crops are the plants grown over a larger area to provide food for the growing population. To improve crop yields, you need to have a good understanding of the factors that affect growth. Crop yields depend on inputs. Crop yields are an essential aspect of every farmer’s day and impact the profitability of their farmland.
Learning how to improve crop yields is the key to successful agriculture and access to new technologies and planting methods. Technologies that allow farmers to better understand their soil, what type of nutrients they may lack and when to plant seeds have had positive effects on results. You want to make sure you are maximizing your space and the land that you have worked to cultivate.
4. Look to the Seas for More Food:
With the planet’s population growing, turning to the world’s oceans for food is the new blue food revolution. The oceans are exploited, and many species of fish are in danger. Increasing aquaculture in fish farms, seafood and seaweed is a major way to introduce protein into the diet of much of the world. Consumers should consider several factors when purchasing high-quality seafood.
First, it is important to buy seafood from reputable dealers – those with a known track record of safe handling practices. And since seafood is perishable, buy it last. Make sure that the raw juices from seafood do not leak onto other foods, especially those that will be eaten without further cooking. You can prevent cross-contamination in your basket by enclosing single wrappers of seafood in bags. Buying seafood, the word “fresh” usually refers to seafood that has not been frozen. Yet “frozen” does not have a bad connotation. Frozen seafood can be higher quality than fresh seafood, so base your purchase on product quality.
5. Use an agroecological approach to food production:
Agroecological diversification strengthens ecological and socio-economic resilience, creating new market opportunities. As farming systems shape the enormous assets on which they depend for inputs. A vital feedback loop occurs between outcomes and inputs. Consumers are in demand for healthier diets and a closer connection with food producers. Sustainable agricultural systems have a positive effect on natural, social and human capital for future generations.
Agroecology mimics nature, replacing things like chemical fertilizers with the knowledge of how a combination of plants, trees, and animals can increase the productivity of the land. This is like the paramilitary movement which uses natural means to build up nutrients in the soil and to regenerate agriculture. They use it in many places, including to help refugees feed their families and become self-reliant.
