Global ChangeIntersection of Nature and Culture

Sustainable food conundrums

Friday, October 16th, 2009

This column in the Guardian (Climate action shouldn’t target poor farmers) as well as work by Peter Singer illustrate some of the tradeoffs associated with the trend towards eating more organic and locally sourced food.

Is it better to eat locally or import food from poorer, developing nations?

One of the big problems uncovered recently is the fact that humanitarian food aid may be undercutting the ability for poor farmers to establish profitable, self-sustaining agricultural systems, thereby perpetuating food insecurity.  There is nothing worse than competing with free food if you are a fledgling producer.

If developed nations reduce agricultural imports from developing countries because of the locavore movement, this, too, could undermine long-term agricultural development and increase the risk of food insecurity.

It’s important to note that this argument is a bit simplistic.  International trade is complex, affecting food security in several ways:

• International trade agreements and structural adjustments recommended by the World Bank often favor industrialization over agricultural development in poor countries.  This can turn these nations into net food importers, subjecting them to the whims of the global food market.
• Developed nations have been running chronic surpluses of many staple crops since the 1970s.  This depresses global commodity prices and further undercuts the ability of poor farmers to develop sustainable agricultural systems (for more about these points, read chapters 5 and 6 in this FAO report and chapter 9 in this FAO report).

Another issue is organic foods.  As Singer asks, is it better to buy organic food locally or from a developing nation like Mexico?  The food miles associated with international transport increase carbon emissions, but the tradeoff is supporting organic farming economies in developing countries.

photo credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/donkeycart/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Posted in food and agriculture, organic, sustainability, sustainable development | 2 Comments »