This year, in select New York City schools, Foodstream Learn will provide hands-on cooking and gardening programs for K–12 students across all five boroughs. Our in-school and afterschool programs build lifelong skills in nutrition, wellness, and environmental stewardship, while also helping schools implement food waste prevention and share table initiatives that align with the New York City Office of Energy & Sustainability, and Climate Action Day themes of sustainability and waste reduction.
In the UN framework for food security the four major pillars of food security are the availability, access, utilization and stability of food. Simply put, food availability means is there food, food access means can people obtain the available food, food utilization means can people make use of the food they have access to and food stabilization means are the other three factors sustainable. As we continue to explore the topic of sustainability, we will focus on the last factor and what sustainability in food means.
Food Systems
The term “food system” is used in academic and policy contexts to represent all of the aspects of food production and consumption. Everything from the seed to the table. The USDA defines a food system as:
“Agriculture and food systems are the intact or whole unit made up of interrelated components of people, behaviors, relationships, and material goods that interact in the production, processing, packaging, transporting, trade, marketing, consumption, and use of food, feed, and fiber through aquaculture, farming, wild fisheries, forestry, and pastoralism. The food and agriculture system operates within and is influenced by social, political, economic, and environmental contexts.”
The decisions and processes that we make on what to grow, buy, sell and eat are the food system. Those decisions impact our environment, economies and health. How repeatable those decisions are is the sustainability of our food systems.
Sustainability in Food Systems and Why it Matters
Global food sustainability is defined by a three-pillar approach protecting the environment, ensuring economic stability for producers, and maintaining social equity to meet long-term nutritional needs. However, the global food system continues to have a significant environmental footprint. Currently, the industry is responsible for approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for 70% of worldwide freshwater use, highlighting the ongoing challenge of balancing industrial production with resource conservation.
It can seem as though sustainability is only about the environment, but social and economic dynamics are important to sustainability.
- Place: Using sustainable methods protect local environments, biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions.
- Profit: When farmers are paid fairly and local markets are supported, the whole food supply becomes stronger and better able to handle unexpected global crises.
- People: A sustainable system makes sure everyone has access to healthy food, while ensuring safe conditions for the people who grow it.
Challenges in Sustainable Food Systems
The intersection of these three factors can be seen through the lens of production, distribution and consumption. They all interact with the other and pose their own challenges. As previously mentioned at Foodstream, food loss and food waste represents a third of all food produced, this impacts the resources needed environmentally, how much they cost, the availability and access of the food itself to people around the world.
The distribution of food can be seen through the same lens. Food miles represent the distance from where the food is produced to where it is sold and ultimately consumed by people. Food comes from somewhere, and the longer the supply chain the more physical and financial resources needed to power the ship, truck or train that brings the food from its origin to its destination.
Finally, consumption impacts all of the factors. This means what people choose at the local grocery store or restaurant will affect what, how and why things are produced.
Sustainable Food in Practice
Most people are familiar with the concept and advice to “reduce, reuse and recycle”. This concept at its heart is practical advice. Understanding where food comes from and what went into getting it from the field to your fork is not about morality, but rather about being concerned about the sustainability of the system.
For more information about our sustainability program and our other programs go to Foodstream or email us at support@foodstreamnetwork.com
Responses