Our Food Footprint

Organic food is often labelled as superior in terms of its environmental footprint, nutritional quality and taste to regular, conventional food. My previous post discussed the reasons it is hailed as such. But the truth is, it's not the "be-all-end-all" solution to the environmental issues caused by agriculture. A main reason for this is the greater land that organic farming requires. According to Clark & Tilman (2017), organic farms use 25%-110% more land than conventional farms! This is because organic fertilizers like manure are not as effective as synthetic ones since they do not release the specific nutrients needed by plants when they need them. This means that farmers will receive less yield per unit of land and therefore be required to use more land to make the same profits as conventional farmers. (Although, certain organic practices like rotational farming and polyculture have been found to reduce land use.) Photo by Min An from Pexels  Another down...

When I go to the grocery store or farmers’ market, I often see products labelled “organic”. People generally think that organic foods are superior in terms of their environmental footprint, as well as their health benefits. However, I feel like it’s often a label that’s used just to hike up the price of produce, because conventionally grown alternatives are much more affordable. Should I jump on the bandwagon and just start buying organic food too or is it not worth it? What’s the deal with this organic agriculture ? Organic Produce. Photo by Zeyus Media . Well, Organic Agriculture (OA) is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) as: “a method of agriculture in which no synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are used. It involves the management of farms so that soil fertility and pesticide problems are reduced.” “Pesticides are chemical substances that are meant to kill pests” (Sharma & Singhvi, 2017), while fertilizers add nutrients to the soil to improve pl...

Thinking about what to get for lunch today? There may be many food options you can buy, but are packaged in plastic containers, which cannot degrade, or break down into harmful microplastics. (Check out my friend's blog for more on microplastics and plastic waste!) And, did you know that Styrofoam is also plastic? It can stay in the environment for millions of years and be eaten by animals, effectively killing them. Even worse, the chemicals in the plastic can become part of the tissues of the animals. When you eat these animals, these can become part of you!  Food packaged in Styrofoam. Photo by albedo20 . Instead, try cooking something and bringing it in a reusable container! This way, you can cut down on the waste you would produce if you had bought food instead. Plus, it's cheaper to cook. Home made food. Photo by Ella Olsson . If you're already on the go, and you want to buy food, you can still opt for biodegradable packaging, like that shown in the pic...

In a previous post , we looked at the environmental footprint of meat production (mainly cattle). But, after I embarked on my one-day vegan journey on World Food Day , I began to wonder, what does it take to produce plant-based foods? Is veganism feasible here in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) as a mainstream diet?  Well, regardless of the crop, in order to grow it, we need space. Traditional and modern agriculture, both practised in T&T, involve clearing of land. This means that trees will be cut down and animals will lose their habitats. So, I guess it is true to say that it is inevitable for humans to exist without harming the environment in some way.  The production of rice, a staple my family and I eat daily, contributes large amounts of methane (a potent greenhouse gas-GHG) to the atmosphere, due to the swampy conditions in which it is grown. So, we can't say that livestock is the only culprit of large-scale methane production. Photo of rice farming by Niph...

Yesterday was World Food Day ! The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has designated October 16 th as a day to reduce your food wastage and eat healthier and more environmentally friendly foods. A study published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has found that  “impacts of the lowest-impact animal foods typically exceed those of vegetable substitutes, providing new evidence for the importance of dietary change” (Poore & Nemecek, 2018).  With the deteriorating state of our environment, I believe that cutting back on meat is a simple way that each of us can make a positive difference to the environment without having to rely on government policy. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has recently implemented a ban on use of Styrofoam in food packaging by companies, and is encouraging a switch to lower energy LED lightbulbs in the face of immanent environmental degradation. While  I applaud these solutio...

As you might have heard, the state of the environment today is pretty bad. The climate is changing rapidly, not like anything the Earth has ever experienced. The average global temperature has risen by 0.8°C in the last century [1] . This might not sound bad, but it’s having adverse effects on the planet; from raging fires (such as the wildfires that have wreaked havoc in California for 3 consecutive years) and category 5 hurricanes (like Hurricane Dorian, that ravaged Abaco in The Bahamas), to extinctions of species every day ! It’s affecting human health too, with certain infectious diseases on the rise . This is all a result of human-induced climate change and environmental degradation. Can eating differently really make a positive impact? Photo by Markus Spiske temporausch.com from Pexels  Well, the US EPA says that 24% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in 2010 were from agriculture, forestry and other land use. That’s a lot considering the transport sector produc...

In this video, the diet that helps cut emissions of greenhouse gases is discussed.  " Your personal decisions really can have a big impact, " says Maya Almaraz of the University of California Davis, "... Every little bit helps. " So, why not make a change today? Who's for Meatless Mondays? I sure am!