Food- Thoughtless or For Thought
Today there is a cost for our rich harvest of food. We enjoy foods from the four quarters of the world, yet we have little understanding of the impact from this daily Thanksgiving. When things are out of season, we can go to the other half of the globe to supply us. Also for this abundance of fruits, vegetables, diary products, grains, fish and meats we expand enormous amount of energy and waste. Because of this bounty we are robbing Peter to pay Paul.
A revolution in social consciousness is happening among tens of millions of Americans. Buying organic food is just one of the signs. The average American spends several thousands of dollars on food consumption, which is roughly 9 percent of our gross national product amounting to almost $900 billion dollars. With this astronomical cost in mind, it is important that the United States become more efficient with its processing, packaging, and transporting of food.
And, there are other forms of enormous waste in how we handle our food consumption. One third of all solid waste consists of food packaging. A typical family discards 10 to 15 percent of their food purchases in the form of packaging. Food travels on the average of 1,400 miles before reaching those eating it. Just think of the carbon price we pay to send our food this far?
Meat is a perfect case in point. Not only the amount of water to raise grains in order to feed animals, but an additional millions and millions of gallons of water are polluted by these farm animals that are raised to be dinner. Added to these problems in producing meat products for human consumption are the antibiotics and hormones used to protect the animals from disease (thereby protecting humans as well) and to quicken the process of animal growth.
Another problem caused by the way we make our food production comes from the use of chemicals, additives, preservatives, pesticides, and herbicides intended to kill weeds, insects and other pests. All these measures have dire impact on human health and the health of our environment. The cumulative affect is difficult to calculate. One example alone: Pesticides cost US farmers $4 billion annually to use, are estimated to cause $2-4 billion in health and environmental damages, including an estimated 20,000 cases annually of cancer caused by pesticides.
Some Americans are responding to this crisis by buying food locally and in season. Also, people are buying food in bulk. Citizens are demanding more organic food. Organic farming has become an $8 billion dollar a year industry with sales growing 20-25 percent per year.
We are seeing here in the Shenandoah Valley an emergence of this kind of change. Growing local, more organic food is greatly expanding. The future of how Americans become more conscious of their connection to food means the quicker we are going to help our earth. Americans spend roughly 15 percent of their disposable income on food while compared with Europeans who spend 24 percent of their money.
One web site cites the following
(http://www.foodcarbon.co.uk/carbon_emissions.html):
"In terms of global emissions, agriculture is believed to be responsible for 25% of CO2, 65% of methane and 90% of nitrous oxide emitted. Modern processes such as use of machinery over man and animal power, global trading and increased use of fertilizers and other so called "agro-chemicals" has already made agriculture an energy intensive process in the developed world and is still in the process of doing the same thing in the developing world."
Thousands of scientists say we have to reduce our carbon emissions in the next several decades up to 80 percent. If the U.S. can accomplish this level of reduction, we may well become an example of such frugality to China and India, two countries that are quickly becoming leading users of carbon and food. Our agricultural systems are tied closely to our energy and transportation systems and integrated with the overall food-processing industry. We have to quickly make ingenious plans on how we can best do more with less.
We as a nation can make a difference in changing our agricultural production if we explore our agrarian roots and then find the right context to plant for our future. Time, resources, oil prices and climate change will all play their part.
Another key factor will be how well we can work together, and not separately — a critical issue for our future agricultural prosperity. Success can only happen if we create the proper vision. We have to omit certain luxuries we had in the past. We have to get real and be truthful if we are to pass on an agricultural legacy that will sustain an otherwise growing population of hungry people. Skillful choices will have to made, and much effort will be required so that we can face up to what we will have collectively identified as right choices for the good of all.
We have a crisis on our hands, and we have to generate new ideas about food intake and healthy diet patterns. We have to eat less, plan more, and be ingenious. This kind of awareness is not just food for thought; it is as much about being aware of how thoughtless we may be about our future food.
A revolution in social consciousness is happening among tens of millions of Americans. Buying organic food is just one of the signs. The average American spends several thousands of dollars on food consumption, which is roughly 9 percent of our gross national product amounting to almost $900 billion dollars. With this astronomical cost in mind, it is important that the United States become more efficient with its processing, packaging, and transporting of food.
And, there are other forms of enormous waste in how we handle our food consumption. One third of all solid waste consists of food packaging. A typical family discards 10 to 15 percent of their food purchases in the form of packaging. Food travels on the average of 1,400 miles before reaching those eating it. Just think of the carbon price we pay to send our food this far?
Meat is a perfect case in point. Not only the amount of water to raise grains in order to feed animals, but an additional millions and millions of gallons of water are polluted by these farm animals that are raised to be dinner. Added to these problems in producing meat products for human consumption are the antibiotics and hormones used to protect the animals from disease (thereby protecting humans as well) and to quicken the process of animal growth.
Another problem caused by the way we make our food production comes from the use of chemicals, additives, preservatives, pesticides, and herbicides intended to kill weeds, insects and other pests. All these measures have dire impact on human health and the health of our environment. The cumulative affect is difficult to calculate. One example alone: Pesticides cost US farmers $4 billion annually to use, are estimated to cause $2-4 billion in health and environmental damages, including an estimated 20,000 cases annually of cancer caused by pesticides.
Some Americans are responding to this crisis by buying food locally and in season. Also, people are buying food in bulk. Citizens are demanding more organic food. Organic farming has become an $8 billion dollar a year industry with sales growing 20-25 percent per year.
We are seeing here in the Shenandoah Valley an emergence of this kind of change. Growing local, more organic food is greatly expanding. The future of how Americans become more conscious of their connection to food means the quicker we are going to help our earth. Americans spend roughly 15 percent of their disposable income on food while compared with Europeans who spend 24 percent of their money.
One web site cites the following
(http://www.foodcarbon.co.uk/carbon_emissions.html):
"In terms of global emissions, agriculture is believed to be responsible for 25% of CO2, 65% of methane and 90% of nitrous oxide emitted. Modern processes such as use of machinery over man and animal power, global trading and increased use of fertilizers and other so called "agro-chemicals" has already made agriculture an energy intensive process in the developed world and is still in the process of doing the same thing in the developing world."
Thousands of scientists say we have to reduce our carbon emissions in the next several decades up to 80 percent. If the U.S. can accomplish this level of reduction, we may well become an example of such frugality to China and India, two countries that are quickly becoming leading users of carbon and food. Our agricultural systems are tied closely to our energy and transportation systems and integrated with the overall food-processing industry. We have to quickly make ingenious plans on how we can best do more with less.
We as a nation can make a difference in changing our agricultural production if we explore our agrarian roots and then find the right context to plant for our future. Time, resources, oil prices and climate change will all play their part.
Another key factor will be how well we can work together, and not separately — a critical issue for our future agricultural prosperity. Success can only happen if we create the proper vision. We have to omit certain luxuries we had in the past. We have to get real and be truthful if we are to pass on an agricultural legacy that will sustain an otherwise growing population of hungry people. Skillful choices will have to made, and much effort will be required so that we can face up to what we will have collectively identified as right choices for the good of all.
We have a crisis on our hands, and we have to generate new ideas about food intake and healthy diet patterns. We have to eat less, plan more, and be ingenious. This kind of awareness is not just food for thought; it is as much about being aware of how thoughtless we may be about our future food.
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