The future of the planet reborns from the ground Small-scale farmers, short chains, sustainability: manifesto of an agriculture which is cultivating rights
Food We Want is an international campaign promoting sustainable agriculture and consumption in the North and South of the world.
“Food We Want” is an awareness raising campaign which aims to promote family farming and agroecology as effective solutions to combat hunger, reduce poverty and fight against climate change. The Food We Want campaign, financed by the European Union, takes place in 8 countries (Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Great Britain, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania), with the aim of sharing ideas, promoting common solutions and encouraging a public debate on the future of food. The project involves a range of activities, including a European awareness campaign, workshops, events, educational kits and a competition for young journalists. Find out more at www.foodwewant.org
The Food We Want project is financed by the European Union. Project partners:
Istituto Oikos Italy Institute of Global Responsibility Poland Oikos Portugal Fundacion Ibo Spain Fundacion Ibo Mozambique Pastoral and Environmental Network in the Horn of Africa UK Facoltà di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Milano Italy Muindi - Semi di sorriso Italy Oikos East Africa Tanzania Mainyoito Pastoralist Integrated Development Organization Kenya
Food We Want project receives funding from the European Commission. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflection of the position of the European Union.
Every day we produce enough food to ensure 2800 calories for every one of the planet’s 7 billion inhabitants. Yet 25 thousand people die every day of hunger or associated conditions. Although global GDP has increased by 73% in the last 7 years (while the population has increased by 15%), today, shockingly, there are almost one billion people who are malnourished and hungry. The paradox is even greater when we consider the fact that although more than half of the world's food is produced by family agriculture and local farms, 75% of the planet's hungry live the rural areas in the South of the world. And not just that: industrial farming and international commerce, far from ensuring food security for all, have contributed heavily to the loss of food sovereignty and biodiversity, to global pollution and the spread of diseases. Industrial agriculture also requires high energy consumption and is heavily dependant on oil: a problem which in the long term, when fossil fuel prices continue to rise, will become explosive. Equally as disruptive will be the restrictions placed on access to water resources, resources which are becoming ever more scarce and precious, threatened even further by climate change, one of the causes of which is industrial farming and the food and agriculture chain. This is a vicious circle which must be stopped. The reasons behind this situation are both economical and political. They involve the international business situation, price dynamics, the food and agriculture chain, financial speculation and also daily consumption. The key players in this game are the world’s producers, the international institutions, the governments, the stock exchanges, the multinational food companies and the distribution chains. As well as all of us. Everything which ends up on our plates has a story behind it. A story which begins and ends with the earth. Because choosing the “right” food means respecting the rights of the workers and the environment, as well as protecting our own wellbeing.
Agriculture and the world's hunger Global population employed in the agricultural sector agriculture
industry and services bn
The percentage of women in the agricultural sector is growing
The majority of the planet’s workers are farmers. Despite this, the number of malnourished people all over the world is increasing and is higher today than it was 40 years ago. Rural population worldwide rural population
urban population
Trends in global malnutrition (from 1969 to 2010)
Millions of malnourished people worldwide
Distribution of malnutrition worldwide (2010) 925 million malnourished people worldwide 578 mln
Asia and the Pacific
239 mln
Sub-Saharan Africa
53 mln
Latin America and the Caribbean
37 mln
Near East and North Africa
19 mln
Developed countries
5,7%
4,0%
25,8%
Source: FAO worldwide data "The state of food and agriculture 2010-11"
2,0% 62,5%
Choose your meal The loss of biodiversity is a problem in itself, in terms of changes to the environment, independently of the dietary damage which it could cause to human beings.
The intensive use of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides has been and continues to be a significant source of soil and water pollution both on the surface and deep down.
Today: monoculture and fossil fuel resources are threatening producers and consumers
Monocultural, intensive agriculture, along with other incorrect or excessively driven agricultural practices, is responsible for a decrease in soil quality.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN AGRICULTURE
In the poorest countries, farmers have come to depend on large multinational companies. These companies purchase enormous areas of soil, taking them away from farmers (land grabbing).
Consumers worldwide have the right to choose what type of agricultural model to support, by making specific day to day choices. The result will be global. The sustainable agriculture approach promotes the ability of small agricultural producers to access and own their production resources and to use them to ensure sustenance.
Sustainable agriculture can control climate change by reducing dependency on fossil fuels and energy requirements, reducing the use of nitrogen fertilisers.
Tomorrow: protect your soil and your right to food. For us all
Practices such as crop rotation increase the availability of food all year round and ensure greater flexibility in the case of extreme climatic events.
Small producers supply over half of the world’s food. They make up over 90% of agricultural production in Africa.
The Food We Want. Sustainable, Local, Fair. Traceability, transparency, short chains, social sustainability, biodiversity, fair prices and respect for human rights: these are the principles of the "Food We Want" campaign. Behind the food we buy there are complex chains, chains which affect people and the environment. Local food should be more “energy efficient� than food which is imported from afar, just as a vegetarian diet should have a smaller ecological imprint than a diet based on meat. Seasonal fruit and vegetables are preferable, and not just from a nutritional point of view. Biodiversity also ensures food sovereignty, and thus the population's capacity to have sufficient food to feed itself. We can each play our part. Every one of us can contribute equally. Local food should be organic and high quality. All over the world, a new type of consumer is emerging. This consumer eats fresh food from his or her local producers, including a small amount of meat, but with maximum respect for its rarity and the value of the animal’s life. We can promote the role of small producers, by returning to a situation where we have a multitude of small farms growing a number of different crops simultaneously. Large-scale agriculture leads unavoidably to monoculture and mechanised processing. With little respect for the local microclimate on the land which it uses. Small-scale farmers can change their crops and habits more quickly, making the most of even small extensions to their land, and they can meet the requirements of their clients quite rapidly. Also, by growing several species simultaneously, they are less affected by problems in one species. On a global political level, national governments, the European Union and citizens must work to ensure the principle of food sovereignty is upheld, to promote fairer business relationships and so that the food aspect of agriculture is not usurped by the energy aspect which is threatening our food security.
Less than half of the world's population lives in rural areas of the planet
Everyone can play his part to secure rights and environmental sustainability
Shopping list Every day, we as consumers can support agroecology and small-scale producers by making simple choices and paying attention. This can only benefit our own wellbeing.
1
Favour self-generation, recovery and reuse
2
Avoid waste
3
Use the seasons as a guide
4
Avoid packaging
5
Read the label
6
The criteria against which we should buy: organic, short chain, Km0, biodiversity, “social” food, cruelty free, “Pizzo” (extortion) free
7
Favour small organised distribution over GDO
8
Look for your nearest community purchasing group
9
If possible, use organic companies which deliver to your home
10
Favour direct sales and farmers markets
11
12
Visit shared gardens Choose fair, community-based commerce
You too can contribute to a sustainable future. Visit our site, tell us about your experiences and share them on Facebook and Twitter.
www.foodwewant.org