Food 4 Thought #5

Dear Reader,

Welcome to the fifth issue of Food 4 Thought! It’s been quite some time since I’ve released a new issue of my newsletter, my apologies! I’ve been quite busy lately, but now I’m back on track! As always I appreciate your support!

-Isabel

1. WWF report reveals global water sources are increasingly threatened

A WWF report titled ‘High Cost of Cheap Water: The True Value of Water and Freshwater Ecosystems to People and Planet’ reveals that water ecosystems across the globe are increasingly threatened by the climate crisis, which has led to a higher frequency of extreme, abnormal weather events such as floods, droughts, and shifting rainfall patterns. According to the report, this severe weather phenomena largely stems from insecurity in food supplies and deteriorating water quality.

The report estimates that as of 2021, the value of water accounted for 60% of the global GDP ($58T), as it is needed to support agriculture, trade and transport, energy production, and nearly every business and industry. Human activities actively threatening the global water supply include agricultural overextraction, degradation of peatlands, mining pollution, water depletions in rivers, sand mining, and dam construction.

Actions that governments and policymakers can take include committing to revitalizing 30% of degraded rivers by 2030, developing more adaptable water allocation systems, setting sustainable extraction limits, ending harmful subsidies, and investing in natural water storage to reduce the impact of extreme floods. The report also outlines steps that businesses and industries can take to reduce their impact, which include implementing water stewardship strategies, adopting greater transparency by disclosing water risks, investing in water-saving technologies and advanced treatment to minimize wastewater generation, collaborating with local communities and governments to devise solutions, and pressuring legislators to take actions that support freshwater ecosystem restoration.

2. A multi-institution research project looks to prove that adopting more sustainable farming practices reduces production risk while improving overall yields 

A multi-institution research project funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative is aiming to provide evidence that the adoption of more sustainable farming practices reduces production risk while having either a neutral effect or a positive effect on overall yields. Currently, agricultural research has been deemed too limited and lacks evidence proving that sustainable farming should be incentivized by farmers, agricultural lenders, and crop insurers.

Those participating in the project include a group based in Maryland that is leveraging data from 20 experimental farms in the Midwestern U.S.,California, Canada, Maryland, Mexico, and Tennessee, and a separate group that is using remote-sensed data from one million farmers’ fields in nine Midwestern states. The study primarily focuses on analyzing the growing conditions for corn and soybeans, which rank among the largest crops grown in the U.S. in terms of total production.

Making the U.S. farming system more sustainable is seen as a way to mitigate the effects of climate change. Moreover, adopting such practices can potentially be a pathway to reducing reliance on government subsidies and crop insurance claims.

3. Climate-related events threaten Australia’s agriculture goals

In 2018, Australia announced a goal of $100B in agricultural output by 2030, but this goal is actively threatened by a slew of climate-related events, including droughts, forest fires, and extreme high temperatures have forced the country to lower its agricultural output forecast. This September was Australia’s driest on record, with severe effects on its wheat harvest. Climate change has also given way to new parasites like the Varroa mite that attacks and feeds on honeybees.

The Australian government projects A$80B in the country’s agricultural production value through June 2024, a 14% decline. Aside from changing weather patterns, the lowered forecast is also linked to lowering commodity prices amid a higher global supply and newly implemented government policies.

Australian farmers have been vocal regarding their opposition to government policies, which they say are causing more harm than good to the farming sector. The federal government has “committed to phase out live sheep exports from Australia by sea”, a decision that has sparked outcry among farmers. Other newly implemented policies include livestock reductions, plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030, and a new biosecurity tax for farmers, fishers, and foresters.

4. Beef, dark chocolate, cheese, and coffee ranked among the least sustainable foods

According to 2018 data from Our World in Data and Poore & Nemeck, beef, dark chocolate, lamb & mutton, coffee, prawns, and cheese rank as the foods whose production is responsible for the most greenhouse gas emissions. Foods that require the most water usage to be produced are cheese, nuts, farmed fish, farmed prawns, and beef. The data is based on global averages recorded in 119 countries.

Beef production emits a whopping 99 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram, more than double the emissions resulting from dark chocolate production (47 kilograms of CO2 per kilogram), which ranked second. Cocoa farming is associated with deforestation in countries like Ivory Coast, where, according to WWF, 70% of the country’s illegal deforestation is related to cocoa farming. Beef is an even bigger driver of deforestation, as its production drives 41% of global deforestation and 80% of Amazon deforestation, as reported by The Humane League.

Nuts, which are a key source of proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, unfortunately require massive amounts of water to grow properly. To produce just one almond requires slightly more than one gallon of water. Foods like dark chocolate and nuts are not only delicious, they are also plant-based, and plant-based diets have been touted as a more sustainable diet. However, eating plant-based alone doesn’t automatically equate to a lower environmental impact. The specific ingredients we use and where we source them from can make a difference.