I stayed in Lionshead until Wednesday and returned to the city. My time in Lionshead was amazing like always; when I wasn’t working away on my computer, I enjoyed some long kayaks in the sunset, went out to pick some wild edible plants and climbed some very wet routes. I was surprised at how much chaga mushroom and leeks there where out there(I’ve been eating leeks non-stop since last Saturday, when we got a big bag of them on a hike) and am really excited to learn more about the wild edible plants in the area as the seasons change. The routes at Lionshead are still very wet from the thaw that’s still happening from the crazy winter we had this year. That obviously didn’t stop me from getting out there and I was able to enjoy some of the craigs classic routes during my stay. I even took a group out there to learn to rappel and try their hand at outdoor climbing; it’s hard not to have a blast there even when conditions are pretty terrible. After a few stops on the way home (I can never resist crafty stores and cute farms), we made our way back to Kitchener (where the nearby outdoor climbing is much dryer!). I have been very happy to finally get the chance to sport my spring dresses and cute shorts now that it’s warm!
Another yoga picture from Tobermory, Ontario! (Sorry about all of the yoga- all the wet climbing doesn’t make for the greatest pictures)
The smell of freshly baked cookies, the texture of a slice of pumpkin pie, the aroma of a freshly brewed pot of coffee or the richness of good quality chocolate: food is our constant seducer and we all have our guilty pleasures. Here in developed countries, we need not worry about the famine many people around the world face. On the contrary, with delectable and ready to eat food always available, we are faced with ailments of overconsumption and indulgence. With these luxuries comes responsibility, something that many of us fail to recognize. Some people suffer from famine, others with obesity; many throw away food without the awareness of the plight of their fellow citizens. We are confronted with an absurd paradox; more people are having bariatric surgery to help them eat less while others are actually dying from hunger. Huge injustices happen in societies that threaten our social fabric, with the food gap being one of the biggest ethical issues of modern times. Over the next few decades, we face a challenge between food security, development and the environment. In order for us to meet our needs, we need to close the food gap by 70%. With all of that said, what steps can we as a society and as individuals take to tackle this challenge?
Food is more than just calories, a means to survive or a source of nutrients; it is a source for pleasure and life. It is entrenched in our culture, family, intimacy, friendship and solidarity; we often find ourselves eating more for social or even emotional reasons. While healthy eating habits will help to prevent disease, prolong our lifespans and contribute to our overall wellness, we have the freedom to eat what we want, throw away what we don`t and enjoy it. It’s our bodies, our money and our life, making it our choice to use food as we please. Only it’s not just about us. In 2012, 49 million Americans lived in food insecure households, including 3.9 million children. That’s not to mention the underfed people in the developing world. The United Nation recently estimated that nearly 870 million in the world, or one in eight, was underfed between the years 2010-2012. Furthermore, approximately one in three children are malnourished in developed countries, contributing to at least half of the 10.9 million child deaths each year. How can we be so naive to think that what we eat, purchase and put in the trash has no implications towards others? I feel sad when I see the waste that comes from the restaurant industry and grocery stores, and even sadder when individuals who take a stand against this problem by partaking in dumpster diving are persecuted. The food gap is not only unethical, it is downright unacceptable. By forgetting about those who are suffering, across the world and even in our own communities, we are becoming desensitized and losing our sense of compassion for our fellow human beings. We are raising a generation of materialistic, self-centered and selfish individuals and forgetting what it means to be human.
What can we do, as a society and as individuals, to bridge this gap?
1) Tackle Obesity!
Obesity, a disease reaching pandemic proportions in western cultures, seems to be one of the primary problems of modern times in developed countries. In 2008, over 1.4 billion people were overweight, including 500 million obese individuals. Diabetes is becoming a normal occurrence in the developed world, now providing a new demographic and marketing opportunity for food companies. While eliminating obesity and halving the number of overweight people would reduce the 2050 gap by only six percent, it’s a start! We’ve heard a lot of notions for the cause of this problem, including a lack of willpower, which has ultimately led to a culture of discrimination against fatness that reinforces the idea that obesity is simply a problem of eating too much and moving too little. This notion is not only insensitive; it is ignorant to the effects of genetics, our environment, our education and our socioeconomic statuses. From the constant firing of food advertisement, the inaccessibility of produce in many communities, the rise of technology, the transgenerational effects from our mothers and grandmothers, or the ease of access to delicious but unhealthy foods, how can we put so much blame on individuals? Furthermore, with our current costs of living, about half of Canadians say that they do not eat fresh and healthy foods because they’re too expensive (costing approximately $1.50/day more). This problem is even more noticeable in smaller communities, where healthy foods are typically double, if not triple the price. The answer to our obesity epidemic is not controlling our society, but giving us control in the form of education, price reductions and availability of healthy foods. It’s of utmost importance to teach children about nutrition, allow them to appreciate different tastes, expose them to a wide botanical variety and show them how to respect food in relation to their health. Societies should enable people to live healthy lifestyles, and doctors can and should help!
2) Reduce our waste!
We also need to reduce our losses and waste between farms to our plate, which currently is over 25% of the food produced. We waste over 1.3 billion tons of food every year, worth about $1 trillion US dollars yearly, causing significant economic losses while placing pressure on our natural resources. Even before the shelves, more than 6 billion pounds of produce go unharvested or unsold each year. Once on the shelves, about 43 billion pounds of food are thrown away yearly and about a quarter of the food purchased by consumers will ultimately end up in the trash. Food waste contributes to more wasteful use of pesticides and chemicals, more transportation fuel, more rotting food in landfills (the second highest component of landfills) and more greenhouse gasses. This results in reduced fresh water, higher global temperatures, poorer land quality for farmers and less biodiversity. We need to change the way we produce and consume our natural resources. By cutting these losses in half by 2050, the gap would be reduced by about 20%! Now we’re getting there. You can help too! Donate your extra food to food drives, take a stand against the food waste from restaurants and grocery stores, support our farmers and maybe sign some petitions to reduce this problem. We need to raise awareness about food waste before we can really make the much needed progress. While dumpster diving might not be your cup of tea, there are a growing number of organizations that collect food waste from restaurants and grocery stores and redistribute them to shelters, schools and food banks (e.g. Second Harvest in Toronto, ON). This is a great way to not only reduce our waste, but also provide more employment opportunities within our community. These organizations need your help, be it by volunteering your time, donating or simply talking about them to your friends and family.
3) Reduce our animal consumption!
The excessive consumption of animal products is something else that should change. While many of the poor could greatly benefit from a modest increase in animal product consumption, most of us in developed countries consume way more milk and meat than what is healthy, leading to land destruction and more greenhouse gas emissions. In order to produce the same amount of animal protein to vegetable protein, you would need 11 times more fossil fuels and 100 times more water. Furthermore, a meat based diet currently uses 7 times more land than one that is based on plants. Why is this relevant? In order to feed everyone, we need more food, better land to harvest on and a climate that supports agriculture. While totally eliminating meat may not be necessary to close the food gap, it would help to keep it from getting larger. Even just shifting our meat consumption from beef (generates 6x more greenhouse gas emissions per unit protein than pork and chicken) to other meats, fish or dairy could spare hundreds of millions of hectares of forest and savannah, which could be used to meet our rising demand for food crops. As wild fish catches have plateaued, aquaculture has expanded and has become a valuable and more sustainable source for food. Opting for fish reared using this method would be another promising step.
4) Support our farmers!
Our farmers, typically under-appreciated and not adequately supported, are at the forefront of a food gap solution. The food gap is not just a distribution problem. In order to feed everyone, we need to produce about 1000 more calories per person per day by 2050 while lowering our carbon foot print. This is where our farmers come in. Agriculture is responsible for roughly ¼ of global greenhouse gas emissions, uses 37% of our land and 70% of all fresh water drawn from the earth. Climate change and water stress makes the challenge harder, with higher temperatures and water stress that are detrimental to our crops. We need to focus on bringing every farmer up to date on superior and sustainable farming practises as well as give them the resources that they need in order to improve their food production and reduce wastage. Farmers need to have access to good seed, fertilizer and be educated on how they can improve the soil and water that they use to cultivate their crops. By supporting our farmers, we can not only help close the food gap, we can also improve their livelihoods, making them more likely to be successful in the long-term. Farmers can improve their yields by using rotational grazing, improving the health of their livestock, using more trees and nitrogen-fixing shrubs to reduce animal stress and improve the productivity of pastureland (which occupies twice the amount of land compared to other croplands). But they need your help! Support Leave No Farmer Behind initiatives, opt for local farmers markets and farms to purchase your food and volunteer! About 2 billion people are employed in agriculture, many of them poor; we need to enhance the livelihoods of our farmers so that they have the means and ability to meet our increasing food needs.
5) Ensure the education of females everywhere!
The earth currently inhabits about 7 billion people and is projected to have an astonishing 9.6 billion people by 2050. These numbers are devastating and making the food gap problem near very difficult to solve. While world-wide reductions in the amount yearly births would be worthwhile, we can’t ethically drive that initiative (seen by the injustices towards the families of multiple kids and the females born in China). Since most of this population growth is seen in the developing world, with Sub-Saharan Africa responsible for a whopping 50% (where about 25% of the population is undernourished), female education would be a more worth-while approach. Teaching females about birth control, making birth control available to them and instilling the appreciation of their value in society could help close the food gap by 25% in these regions. There are so many ways you can help out! Donate to charities, sign petitions, raise awareness among your friends and family and maybe even volunteer your time and talents. By ensuring the education of females everywhere, we stand a chance at solving the food gap problem.
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