Planet

From Farm to Fork to Farm to War, science’s call for a resilient food strategy

March 22, 2022

From Farm to Fork to Farm to War. The food strategy announced in Brussels on 5/20/20-under the aegis of the ecological transition (1)-must now be updated to the war economy. Energy is the very first of the problems, as seen, as it is clear that the REPowerEU plan will not be able to make up for the first source of primary resources (gas, coal, oil). (2)

Nitrogen fertilizers, feed materials, food commodities are trapped between speculation andexport bans. Agricultural confederations, in perfect harmony with the Big 4 (the global pesticide and seed monopolists), call for deregulation of GMOs and agrotoxics.

Increasing dependence on agrochemical supplies, however, does not bode well either for farmers’ budgets or for resilience and food sovereignty. Least of all for the ecosystems where we all live. 408 scientists are therefore calling for foresight and agroecology in managing a crisis that promises not to be fleeting.

Table of Contents

1) Potsdam Institute, the appeal of scientists.

The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Germany) published a joint statement on 3/18/22 that has so far been joined by 408 scientists, from Europe and other continents. A call to transform food production and consumption into a healthy, fair and ecological food system.

Russia and Ukraine are large global producers of wheat, corn and oilseeds, as well as fertilizer and fuel. Exports are likely to be severely disrupted because of the war. The Middle East and Africa are highly dependent on imported grain from the area and will be the most affected.

1.1) War and starvation

Soaring grain prices could push millions of people in these regions into poverty and hunger. As an immediate reaction, policymakers should ensure open agricultural trade flows, including those to and from Russia, with adequate financial support for international food aid programs (e.g., World Food Program).

The trouble with food security lies not in the shortage of agricultural and food production but in the severe economic inequalities, between countries and within countries, at every latitude. Today’s global food production ‘is more than enough to feed an even higher world population,’ scientists explain. However, it is necessary to transform the system, according to scientists, in three directions.

1.2) Food security and biofuels

‘Grains are fed to animals, used as biofuels or wasted, rather than being provided to those with limited financial means‘ (4,5).

Corn exported from Russia and Ukraine, as shown by FAO 2019 data (see Figure 1), is less than one-third the amount of U.S. corn alone destined for so-called biofuels.

Thus, the first issue to be addressed is to put an end to subsidies and the production itself of so-called first-generation ‘biofuels,’ that is, those that depend on raw materials (and crops) removed from the agribusiness supply chain.

1.3) Animal husbandry

Food transition to increased production and consumption of grains, legumes and sustainable sources of protein (including microalgae, microorganisms, insects) could substantially alleviate pressure on global grain supplies.

One-third of global calories are currently used to feed animals, and more than three-quarters of agricultural land is used to produce animal foods. (6)

Reducing the production and consumption of foods of animal origin can thus lead to a more balanced and efficient agricultural food system, in line with UNEP recommendations(United Nations Environment Program, 2020). (7)

1.4) Increase legume production, strengthen Farm to Fork strategy.

European agriculture is highly dependent on energy-intensive nitrogen fertilizers. The Farm to Fork strategy, in pursuing the goals of halving nitrogen surplus and expanding organic farming to 25 percent of UAA (Utilized Agricultural Area), can largely reduce this dependence.

Increasing diversity in crop rotations and including nitrogen-fixing legumes can replace synthetic fertilizer with biological fixation (8,9).

Conversely, pressures to thwart Farm to Fork goals risk exacerbating dependence on agrochemicals, both in the short and long term.

1.5) Reduce food waste.

Food waste accounts for an average of 30 percent of the food produced. Halving the amount of food loss and food waste, globally per capita, by 2030 is one of the indicators (12.3) of #SDG12, Responsible Consumption and Production.

Policy measures to date ‘have failed to adequately address this problem’ which is systemic, as ISPRA already highlighted in 2019. (12) Nor has a harmonized system for measuring waste at each stage of the supply chain from farm to fork been developed, so far unfortunately.

2) Farm to Fork, Farm to War. Conclusions

‘Effective action long-term, however, must address the inequalities of the current food system, in which hunger, waste and resource-intensive consumption patterns coexist.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war have sent shock waves through the food system. The way the current crisis is being handled politically has far-reaching implications for each of us. (…)

Focusing now on short-term solutions without considering long-term consequences or integrating the broader picture exacerbates future risks, including the threat of passing critical tipping points in our planet’s natural systems. Investing in a transition to healthy and sustainable food systems now is essential to increase our resilience against future crises and ensure a safe and livable planet for generations to come.’ (Pörtner et al. 2022. See footnote 3).

#Égalité

Dario Dongo

Notes

(1) Dario Dongo. Farm to Fork, resolution in Strasbourg. Focus on pesticides and fertilizers. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 10/23/21, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/farm-to-fork-risoluzione-a-strasburgo-focus-su-pesticidi-e-fertilizzanti

(2) Dario Dongo. Gas and electricity, a crisis foretold. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade). 3/20/22, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/gas-ed-energia-elettrica-una-crisi-annunciata

(3) Lisa M. Pörtner, Nathalie Lambrecht, Marco Springmann, Benjamin Leon Bodirsky, Franziska Gaupp, Florian Freund, Hermann Lotze-Campen, Sabine Gabrysch. (2022). We need a food system transformation-in the face of the Ukraine war, now more than ever. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6366131

(4) Berners-Lee et al. (2018). Current global food production is sufficient to meet human nutritional needs in 2050 provided there is radical societal adaptation. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 6, 52. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.310

(5) Cassidy et al. (2013). Redefining agricultural yields: from tons to people nourished per hectare. Environmental Research Letters, 8(3), 034015. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/3/034015

(6) Poore et al. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science, 360(6392), 987-992. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaq0216

(7) Marta Strinati, Dario Dongo. Industrial agriculture, the 10 critical points to be addressed. UNEP Report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 7/24/20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/mercati/agricoltura-industriale-i-10-punti-critici-da-affrontare-rapporto-unep

(8) Springmann et al. (2018a). Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits. Nature, 562(7728), 519-525. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0594-0

(9) Soergel et al. (2021). A sustainable development pathway for climate action within the UN 2030 Agenda. Nature Climate Change, 11(8), 656-664. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01098-3

(10) Dario Dongo, Camilla Fincardi. The value of legumes for feeding the planet, FAO report. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 11.1.20, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/progresso/il-valore-dei-legumi-per-nutrire-il-pianeta-rapporto-fao

(11) IPCC, 2022: Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. [Pörtner et al. (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press

(12) Giulio Vulcano, Dario Dongo. Food waste, a systems approach to address the ecological and social crisis. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3/17/19, https://www.greatitalianfoodtrade.it/idee/sprechi-alimentari-un-approccio-sistemico-per-affrontare-la-crisi-ecologica-e-sociale