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Beyond Food System Sustainability

Beyond Food System Sustainability. Martha Rosemeyer Farm to Table May 27 2003. Outline. I. Sociological Effects of Green Revolution II. The feasibility of subsistence III. On beyond agricultural sustainability. The Food System. Earthfriends 1995 “The Whole Story of Food”.

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Beyond Food System Sustainability

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  1. Beyond Food System Sustainability Martha Rosemeyer Farm to Table May 27 2003

  2. Outline I. Sociological Effects of Green Revolution II. The feasibility of subsistence III. On beyond agricultural sustainability

  3. The Food System Earthfriends 1995 “The Whole Story of Food”

  4. What is sustainability as applied to agriculture or the food system? • How is sustainability defined? • Economically viable • Ecologically sound • Socially just • An integrated system including: • natural resources: land/soil, crops, animals, water, climate • Socioeconomic resources: capital, labor and mgmt • Food system: Involves not only the growing but processing and distribution of food

  5. I. Sociological effects of modern agriculture and Green Revolution • In 1970s, social impact of green revolution was reported in Punjab, India, small farmers loose their land, credit becomes an issue • In the US tremendous loss of farmers from 30% to 1% of the population in 70 years FAO

  6. Current corporate consolidation, vertical & horizontal integration • Vertical: One company, or suite of companies owns the entire production chain • Horizontal: owns many different companies that do the same operation Heffernan 1999. Food Circles Website

  7. Consolidation in seed companies 5 companies own 75% of vegetable seed market; 10 companies own 30% of all commercial seed (RAFI July 99) Hendrickson 2002. Food Circles Website

  8. Consolidation in grains Hendrickson 2002. Food Circles Website

  9. Consolidation of meat processors2001 Hendrickson 2002 Food Circles Website

  10. Consolidation of organic industrymay be greater than in conventional • Fewer players at corporate level • Cascadian now General Mills • Muir Glen owned by Phillip Morris • Horizon vs. Organic Valley for milk and cheese • Family farmers can’t make it at the wholesale level-- mainly staying in business through direct marketing

  11. Increasing power of retailers Processors and Hendrickson 2002 Food Circles Website

  12. Retail consolidation Hendrickson, M. and W. Heffernan. Food Circles website

  13. Current problems: The farmer squeezed between inputs and retailer Gliessman, S. 1998. Agroecology

  14. For consumers

  15. Silver lining? • Consumers may have more of an impact

  16. Policy does not favor small farmer because of supposed “inefficiency” • Earl Butz “Get big or get out” • Larger farmers appear to be more efficient because externalities are not taken into account (like environmental pollution) but they are able to take advantage of government incentives and subsidies ($30 B in US) more than small farmer

  17. In addition to the Farm Bill: Nebraska and Counties in PA • Have limited corporately owned farming to various extents through legislation • Jan 2003: Coalition of 127 groups delivered a letter to Congress calling for the restoration of competition and fairness to livestock markets (Feb 03 newsletter of the Center for Rural Affairs: www.cfra.org)

  18. II. Is subsistence an alternative? • How much is being produced in backyard gardens? • How much can be produced? • Example of “Victory Gardens” • 16th century war gardens • WWI and WWII • Canada “The Garden Warriors of 1942” • US data

  19. Canada example: At first government opposed backyard gardening • Canada: Home Vegetable Gardening, 1942 “Unless conditions are favourable, a vegetable garden should not be undertaken. We cannot afford to waste fertilizer, equipment and energy unless location and soil are suitable and the gardener is determined to follow through to harvest and use”.

  20. Victory Garden Brigade 1942 • History: WWI Provincial gov’t passes “The Greater Food Production Act” • Municipalities able to take possession of vacant lots for cultivation purposes without paying compensation to the owner • Shortage of vegetables due to war and Japanese interment • 1943 change in gov’t, issue The Wartime Garden

  21. Victory Gardens are a success • VG the size of Stanley Park in Vancouver • 209,200 gardens, 1425 in city-owned lots • Produced 550 lbs of vegetables each • 1/7 were city gardeners • 1943 15% more than in 1941 and 24% in 1940 • In 1943 in Vancouver 52,000 gardens with food = $4 million USD at that time

  22. USDA Published Public Service booklets • Topics included soil health, how to plant, when to plant, how to tend plants, pest identification and what to plant • Gardening was not a drudgery but a pastime and a national duty

  23. Home processing of foods A kitchen of WWI Canning supplies

  24. Potential of Urban Gardening • London: 14% grow food which meets 18% of London’s daily nutritional needs • Moscow families engaged in food production: 1970 20%, 1990 65% • Havana- 90% vegetables consumed • UNEP estimates 15% of food worldwide is grown in cities and this could be expanded • Yields 13x more than rural farms • But what are the exact figures?

  25. “No unemployment insurance can be compared to an alliance between a man and a plot of land” • Henry Ford

  26. III. Sustainability and BeyondSustainable Living Product design Energy Urban and Regional Planning Agriculture and Food Construction Design

  27. BeyondSustainable Living Product design -cradle to cradle -the natural step Renewable Energy -automobiles -energy sources Planning -eco-villages -co-housing Eco Ag -Permaculture Green building

  28. Cradle to Cradle idea: materials in one cycle should not be mixed with the other Technical Cycle, e.g. heavy metals in industry Biological cycle, e.g. compost

  29. Further reading • McDonough and Braungart. 2002. Cradle to Cradle, North Point Press • For ecovillages: www.livingroutes.org

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