Health and nutrition
I den sista rapporten av fyra presenterar Svenska Naturskyddsföreningen behovet av en grundläggande omställning av dagens jordbrukssystem till agroekologiska produktionsmetoder, och lyfter samtidigt fram positiva exempel på hur lantbruket kan utformas till att bidra till en hållbar utveckling och minskad fattigdom, hunger och miljömässig påfrestning.
Population growth poses many risks, but it also creates a lot of opportunities, and urban agriculture is one of them. Growing urban population with increasing incomes creates demand for a more diversified diet with a substantial fraction of animal products.
FAO on behalf of the United Nations has designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF), which will culminate in the presentation of a discussion brief on Family Farming at the World Food Day in October.
The EAT forum was an opportunity to hear from a wide array of world-renowned experts about their work related to sustainability, food and nutrition. From having not attended the first day, I came in fresh faced and full of energy. I got the impression from the first few speakers that the dinner the night before was a late one.
Conference organizers have managed to facilitate stimulating discussions in spite of the very short time at hand and, while I am not learning that much about resilience, there are many other insights to be gained!
The demand for protein sources of animal origin is increasing worldwide and the hunt for alternatives is on. Insect derived protein for human consumption and for animal feed is a hot topic and the 2013 FAO-report on the same topic states that innovative ways of producing food to support the growing world population is inevitable.
The best quote of the day: Question: Have you fed the larvae with human biosolds? Presenter: Human biosolids? You mean shit?!!
Food sustains us; it gives us energy to live and feel alive. We love it; we hate it. It makes us laugh; it makes us cry (especially when slicing onions). Whatever the reason, food is highly emotive.