Sustainability is a multifaceted issue, in which the food production system and our diets play a crucial role. Achieving a healthy and sustainable food future is an urgent matter that depends on global collaborative efforts. Show
What is sustainability, and what does it have to do with food?“Sustainability” can be hard to define as it can mean different things based on the context in which it’s discussed. However, the concept is much more than a trending buzzword. The most frequently quoted definition was put forth by the U.N.’s Brundtland Commission on sustainable development in 1987: “Sustainable development [meets] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” [1] Jeffrey D. Sachs, an expert on sustainable development and director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, wrote: “Like all living species, humanity depends on nature for food and water, materials for survival, and safety from dire environmental threats, such as epidemics and natural catastrophes. Yet for a species that depends on the beneficence of nature, or on what the scientists call ‘environmental services,’ we are doing a poor job of protecting the physical basis of our very survival!” [2] Indeed, sustainability encompasses the environment, economics, health, nutrition, and other related dimensions. This interconnectedness can be observed in the FAO’s definition of sustainable diets: Sustainable Diets are those diets with low environmental impacts that contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources. [3] As we refer to it here, sustainability means the enactment of practices that fulfill the needs of society while protecting the physical basis of our long-term survival, our environment. We cannot have a secure food supply unless that food supply is sustainable. Why is a sustainable food supply important?Today, more than three billion people are malnourished and many of our planet’s 7 billion inhabitants eat diets low in quality. At the same time, the world’s population is rapidly expanding, and it is estimated there will be close to 10 billion people on our planet by 2050. [4] When considering sustainable food development, the goal is to ensure a future when this expanded population has both enough food available to eat and access to high quality, nutritious foods. Thinking about a successful food future must focus on the earth system as a whole, rather than local levels. The “Anthropocene” is a term used to describe the current geological epoch, a time period defined by humanity being the dominating driver of change in atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric and other earth systems. In other words, humanity’s influence is at its greatest point in the history of our planet. The term “anthropogenic” is an adjective that denotes “originating in human activity.” In terms of anthropogenic activities, agriculture is the largest cause of global environmental change. Examples of global environmental change include climate change, deforestation, desertification, and damage to coastal reefs and marine ecosystems.
Such global environmental change increases the risk of irreversible and catastrophic shifts in the Earth system marked by rising human mortality, morbidity, conflict, and food insecurity. [12] Agriculture in its current form is simultaneously a driver of global environmental change and a victim of shifting environmental conditions. [13] Without action, the world risks failing to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. Simply put: global food systems are not sustainable. We need to rethink how we eat and rethink the way we produce food in the process. Healthy diets from sustainable food systemsDespite substantial scientific evidence linking diets with human health and environmental sustainability, historically there’s been a lack of globally-agreed upon targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production. However, in 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission (a group of 37 scientists from 16 countries working in the fields of human health, nutrition, economics, agriculture, political sciences, and environmental sustainability) assessed existing evidence and developed global scientific targets that define a “safe operating space” for food systems. [14] These targets focus on two key areas that apply to all people and the planet: Target 1: Healthy DietsBased on extensive research on foods, dietary patterns, and health outcomes, the Commission defines a “planetary health diet” with consumption ranges for each food group. Despite its name, this is not a specific diet but rather a flexible dietary pattern that largely consists of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils; includes a low to moderate amount of seafood and poultry; and includes no or a low quantity of red meat, processed meat, added sugar, refined grains, and starchy vegetables. According to the Commission, global adoption of this pattern of eating would provide major health benefits, including a large reduction in total mortality. Learn more about the planetary health diet and how to put it into practice. Target 2: Sustainable Food ProductionWith current food production driving climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and unsustainable changes in water and land use, the Commission also identifies a set of boundaries that global food production should stay within to “decrease the risk of irreversible and potentially catastrophic shifts in the Earth system.” These boundaries relate to six key earth system processes: climate change (based on greenhouse gas emissions), land system change (based on cropland use), use of freshwater, biodiversity loss (based on extinction rate), and nitrogen and phosphorus cycling (based on the application of these fertilizers). A “Great Food Transformation” is necessaryTransitioning to a sustainable food system that can deliver healthy diets for an estimated 10 billion people by 2050 is an unprecedented challenge. However, the Commission emphasizes that “data are both sufficient and strong enough to warrant immediate action, and delay will increase the likelihood of serious, even disastrous, consequences.” Fortunately, their analysis found this transition would be doable through a combination of substantial dietary shifts toward mostly plant-based dietary patterns, dramatic reductions in food losses and waste, and major improvements in food production practices. Of course, such a “Great Food Transformation” will not happen without widespread, multi-sector, multi-level action guided by scientific targets. To begin this process, the Commission proposes five strategies as general starting points for national, regional, city, and local change:
For more information and specifics on these strategies, read the Commission’s full report, Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Or, read the Commission’s briefs for cities, policymakers, farmers, food service professionals, healthcare professionals, and everyone. WATCH: Creating a sustainable and healthy food futureThis FORUM discussion at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health explores how to avert dire consequences for human and planetary health through best practices and new technologies. Key questions were how to amplify nutritious food production, prevent waste and secure supplies, while protecting our environment in the process. View the recorded event. The bottom lineAchieving a healthy and sustainable food system is an urgent matter that depends on collaborative efforts from governments, the private and public sectors, as well as individuals. Supply and demand work both ways—a shift in the food production landscape depends on a shift in our diets. We must be aware that our food choices ultimately impact more than just ourselves, and primarily plant-based diets are best for both health outcomes and the environment. In the end, what’s good for the planet is good for us too. Related
Key terms for understanding sustainable food systems
(Adapted from: EAT, Summary Report of the EAT-Lancet Commission [15]) References
Terms of UseThe contents of this website are for educational purposes and are not intended to offer personal medical advice. You should seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The Nutrition Source does not recommend or endorse any products. What critical steps must be taken to advance sustainable development check all that apply quizlet?What critical steps must be taken to advance sustainable development? (Check all that apply.) There must be a fair and equitable distribution of benefits gained by sustainable practices.. cost savings.. brand differentiation.. technological innovation.. reduction of regulatory and liability risk.. Strategic planning.. What are the 3 major dimensions of sustainability and the 4 sustainability compass points?Based on these various approaches, the 'sustainability compass' combines six Fields: Environment, Society and Economy are the Brundtland-related dimensions of the impact that systems have on each other, whereas Technology, Space and Process are the three dimensions of quality that help distinguish sustainability for ...
What are the three pillars of sustainability choose all that apply?The figure at the top of this page suggests that there are three pillars of sustainability – economic viability, environmental protection and social equity.
What are the three major aspects of sustainability quizlet?Social equity, environmental protection, and economic growth are the three pillars.
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