Author: Acha
Nicolas
Teacher:
Stella Maris Saubidet Oyamburu
Language and
Written Expression IV
ISFD N°41
Eating Our
Way to Disaster
Our eating habits have experienced drastic changes in the last decades.
From recently harvested, fresh vegetables and fruits, to whole meals processed
and packed ready to be eaten. The industrialization of agriculture is proving
to be an unsustainable system that is causing the degradation of the land and
water, as well as our health. Striving for
the eradication of hunger, different organizations of small-scale farmers
around the world, are trying to rise our awareness of the rights we have to
access to adequate food.
Can we run out of food?
The critical answer to that question is: Yes, if we let international
agro-industrial companies such as Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta continue with
their activities. The industrial food chain that is composed of a handful of
corporations control the world’s food production. Using almost the eighty percent
of the total arable land, they produce just the thirty percent of the food
supply, leaving almost one billion people hungry and undernourished. This oligopoly is also controlling the seeds
market, which is resulting in a loss of diversity and in an agricultural system
based on monoculture. Furthermore, the production of pesticides and synthetic
fertilizers needed for the genetically-engineered seeds has extremely negative
effects on the soil, water and health of the farmers. The only way to avoid a
future famine is to adopt a sustainable food system based on the preservation
of the resources and environment, especially land, water and seeds.
The industrial model for food production is threatening our health.
In an attempt to produce greater
amounts of food in a more efficient way, big corporations are using different
additives and genetic modification of seeds to increment their production by
hectare. Additionally, the use of hormones to raise bigger cattle and increase
their milk production is posing serious risks for consumers. These procedures
are causing higher rates of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart
diseases than ever, and most of these illnesses are related to the food we
consume. Furthermore, the industrial farm system does not consider the
environmental needs and tries to compensate it with the use of chemical
fertilizers that pollute the soil, water and atmosphere.
There is another choice.
“La Via Campesina” is an international movement composed of hundreds of
small farmers and peasants from around the world. It was founded in 1993 to
defend small-scale sustainable agriculture as a way to promote social justice
and dignity. It’s main purpose is the realization of Food Sovereignty,
understood as the right of people to produce healthy and culturally
appropriated food through a sustainable method. It prioritizes local production
and consumption giving the countries the right to protect local producers from
cheap imports that destroy their economies. The food sovereignty movement is
based on the idea that small-scale local farms and fishers are capable of
feeding their communities in a more sustainable and healthy way.
We can help.
It is impossible to accept what the industrial food companies are doing
to our world and health, we cannot permit this poisoning system to continue
feeding us. There is something we all can do to help the Food Sovereignty movement
triumph over corporate power. We must support the campaign in one way or
another, we can write to politicians, ask different NGO’s to join the movement
and talk to the media. We can avoid buying in big supermarket chains where there
is no information of the products origins; instead we should buy the local,
organic producers that respect our environment and health.
Works
Cited
Food Sovereignty As a Way to Achieve Food Security. Retrieved
October 30th from:
http://glopolis.org/en/articles/food-sovereignty-way-achieve-food-security/
Polland, M. We Are What We Eat. Retrieved October 25th from:
http://michaelpollan.com/interviews/we-are-what-we-eat/
The Industrial Food Chain starts with Monsanto seeds. Retrieved October
27th from: http://seedsavers.net/shop/home/why-save-seeds/industrial-food-chain/
With Climate Change… Who
Will Feed Us? The Industrial Food Chain/The Peasant Food Web.RetrievedOctober29thfrom:http://www.etcgroup.org/sites/www.etcgroup.org/files/Food%20Poster_Design-Sept042013.pdf
