0 km. Can we change the climate? Buy local

And since then till this day the demand for meat-free food has increased by 987% in 2017 and going vegan was predicted to be the biggest food trend in 2018. Health problems such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes also continue to rise as a response to the poor efforts from farming standards. The way heart disease has risen the American Heart Association (AHA) predicts that costs related to heart disease will double from $555 billion in 2016 to $1.1 trillion in 2035. Which “could bankrupt our nation’s economy and healthcare system,” according to AHA President Steven Houser, Ph.D. (Source Healthline). Whilst the vegan trend quadrupled in the 5 years between 2012 and 2017, according to Google search. It now gets almost 3 times more interest than vegetarian and gluten-free searches.

According to a study from the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United States (FAO), it is estimated that by 2050, there will be 9 billion people on Earth, and we’ll need to produce 60% more food to feed them. Fish consumption per capita has increased from 10 kilograms in 1960 to 20 kilograms today. A new report published in the British medical journal The Lancet claims to feed the future populations we will largely have to change to a plant-based diet with small allowances of meat, dairy, and sugar. This report was compiled by a group of 30 scientists from all over the world who studied nutrition or food policy. And for three years they created recommendations that could be adopted by governments to meet the challenge the world has to meet to ensure survival. So if the world went vegan, it could save 9 million human lives by 2050. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two thirds and lead to healthcare-related savings and avoid climate damages of $1.5 trillion (source vegan society). Most people say they would go vegan if they weren’t addicted to meat but for most it is simply a habit rather than a need. Low impact food choices are locally grown fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, lentils, tofu, and legumes, which are climate-friendly, protein, and which has a variety of minerals and vitamins.

The world would be a more peaceful and harmonious place if the way we treat animal’s lives were respected. If we care how dogs and cats are treated why not the cows and chickens? Here is the impact on livestock diary. Dairy cows have been modified to produce up to 10 times more milk than they would naturally. Male calves are of no use to the dairy industry and generally less suitable for beef production. This means that every year around 90,000 male dairy calves are shot soon after birth and discarded as a by-product. Domesticated cows have an average lifespan of 20 years, but non-dairy farms, they are killed after 5-6 years on average. 30% of UK dairy cows have mastitis, a bacterial infection of the udder (Source vegan society). Beef has the second-highest effect on carbon emissions of all the industrial farmed livestock. Emissions of enteric methane gases released by livestock are polluting and heating air, contributing to global warming. Low-quality feed for livestock in factory farm methods has the highest, emissions intensity (EI). The FAO (food and agricultural organization) estimates that the meat industry is responsible for approx. a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions.

Industrial farming and the threat to the environment by monocultures- the growth of one main crop. These farming methods create high nitrogen and phosphorous damages to the soil and can be devastating for the community when crops fail.

Back to local farming, you may have heard of the 0km movement… The dishes must be 0 km made ​​with organic products purchased directly from producers within less than 100 km and/or products protected by Slow Food (Ark or stronghold).

The dishes must be 0 km made ​​with organic products purchased directly from producers within less than 100 km and/or products protected by Slow Food ( Ark or stronghold). (source Slow food). Working against the trends this movement has a beautiful philosophy to it, which can bring us closer to our communities and away from the cataclysmic events, predicted for our future.

Resources

https://www.ifoam.bio/en/sir-albert-howard