First, what exactly is sustainability? There are a few definitions, but most incorporate three basic principles: Environment, Economy, Social, aka Planet, Profits, People. Environment includes the emission of all of the greenhouse gases, the use of water, pesticides, and herbicides, and the transportation and processing impacts of creating an agricultural product for the market place. This provides a perfect segue to the Economy that includes the profit for the producers of the food, e.g., fair trade, but all the others that follow. This also includes the price for the consumer. Food must be affordable! Social involves fair treatment of workers, connection with and impact on the local community and all stakeholders, and an underlying sense of accountability and responsibility for the future.
As defined by the UN World Commission on Environment and Development: “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The UCLA Sustainability Committee expands and clarifies that: “the integration of environmental health, social equity and economic vitality in order to create thriving, healthy, diverse and resilient communities for this generation and generations to come. The practice of sustainability recognizes how these issues are interconnected and requires a systems approach and an acknowledgement of complexity.” [1]
I recently watched the Climate-Smart Agriculture webinar sponsored by the Scientific American; The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine; Springer Nature; and Nature Portfolio. Not surprisingly, there was some dire news: there will be immense agricultural devastation due to climate change if we do not act NOW.
All the scientific evidence and research-driven data shows we must not only cut our greenhouse gases, but we need to sequester more carbon as well. The amount of greenhouse gases emitted from agriculture in the United States range from 11 to 18% of our total. Just as importantly, agriculture provides a means for sequestering carbon.
Be assured no one is asking or requiring you to totally change your diet and eat only to become vegan or eat only seaweed. The point is make some gradual changes. Everything we do to cut our greenhouse gas emissions and sequester more carbon helps, i.e., the slogan: Plant a Tree, helps.
According to the EPA: “Management of agricultural soils accounts for just over half of the greenhouse gas emissions from the Agriculture economic sector… Livestock, especially ruminants such as cattle, produce methane (CH4) as part of their normal digestive processes. This process is called enteric fermentation, and it represents over a quarter of the emissions from the Agriculture economic sector.
The way in which manure from livestock is managed also contributes to CH4 and N2O (Nitrous oxide) emissions. Different manure treatment and storage methods affect how much of these greenhouse gases are produced. Manure management accounts for about 12% of the total greenhouse gas emissions from the Agriculture economic sector in the United States.
Smaller sources of agricultural emissions include CO2 from liming and urea application, CH4 from rice cultivation, and burning crop residues, which produces CH4 and N2O.” [2]
The first step in finding solutions is to adjust our own behavior. Transition your dietary intake to sustainable foods. It will take a while, and you’ll want to adjust recipes to your own tastes, but frankly, one meatless night a week isn’t going to cut it. Finding what is or is not sustainable is tricky. One list I saw claimed grass-fed beef was the most sustainable food. No way. It’s certainly better than the feedlot approach. Every list varies. I’ve done some background research and am providing lists of both the most sustainable foods and some of the unsustainable items. There are a few unsustainable foods that I really enjoy, like cheese. I’m working on cutting back, but I don’t expect it to disappear from my diet totally for a while. Yes, I’ve tried the non-dairy ones, and even found one I liked the flavor of, but found it wasn’t so sustainable either.
SUSTAINABLE FOODS (I’ve given “grades” to measure their sustainablity.)
MEAT: (OK if cage-free, preferably local) Turkey is a healthier choice, but processing releases slightly more CO2 B; Chicken B
SEAFOOD: Mussels, clams, oysters A; Anchovies from NE Atlantic, certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or other similar organization. A
A comment about fish: if you live on a shore and know the practices of local fishermen or catch something yourself, that’s “sort of” OK, but be aware of the amount caught, techniques for catching, and that spawning seasons are observed.
LEGUMES, BEANS: organic are best, Chick peas A, Lentils A, Peas A+, Peanuts A+, Soybeans. Soybeans are sustainable ONLY if from US (or other countries) farms that practice crop rotation, reduced-till or no-till, water and nutrient management, precision farming technology and cover crops. Soybeans from Brazil are definitely NOT sustainable. The issue is how does one know where the soybeans are coming from? There’s no 3rd-party sustainable organization to investigate and provide a label; so there’s no answer for that today.
GRAINS: Wild rice A, Whole grains: A- “ancient” grains are most sustainable, because the reason they’ve been around so long is they’re adaptable or suitable for specific, somewhat harsh environments. Einkorn is the most drought-tolerant of wheat varieties, though spelt and emmer both perform well too. Teff (a type of millet) and sorghum, two grains native to Africa, both thrive in drought, and teff is adaptable to water-logged soils as well. Proso millet, the most commonly grown millet in the US, is generally recognized as having the lowest water requirement of any grain crop, and pearl millet, commonly grown in Africa and Asia, is the most tolerant of extremes of heat and drought. [3]
VEGETABLES: Locally grown organic vegetables are all A+; others-organic is better, and consider transportation.
FRUIT: Locally grown, organic fruits are all A+; others-organic is better, and consider transportation.
OTHER
Mushrooms: all varieties, especially if grown in North America (lower transportation costs) A
Nuts: macadamia nuts, hazelnuts and Brazil nuts are great examples of sustainable food production because they require little water and minimal upkeep. Brazil nuts also support the rainforest and reduce deforestation. A-
Dairy: Yogurt B+
Coffee: if shade-grown, organic, fair-traded A+
You will find many different lists of so-called sustainable foods. Some recipes for so-called sustainable meals after you look at the ingredients you find are not all that sustainable. Of course the point is to create meals and a nutrition plan that focuses on sustainable, but obviously there will be times when that is not 100% possible. There are other sustainable foods, of course, but this is what I’ve found initially. Please add to the list via Comments if you know of others. I have not included all the sources I consulted for these lists, otherwise this section would be longer than the post itself.
LIMBO
Many agricultural items are in transition to new sustainable practices. Wine is one of them. “According to Allison Jordan, executive director of California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (CSWA), most Californian wine-growers are adopting nature-friendly strategies. ‘Sustainability is the new normal,’ she adds. Almost a quarter of the state’s vineyards are certified sustainable. Sonoma is committed to becoming the first 100% sustainable wine region in the US in 2019. Oregon also has its own Certified Sustainable Wine (OCSW) scheme.” Both New Zealand and Chile have national wine sustainability certifications and almost all their vineyards have achieved this. However, the very nature of viniculture is not perfect for full sustainability. Three vintners in the Douro region of Portugal, João Perry Vidal, João Portugal Ramos, and José Maria Soares Franco are leading an approach located in a Special Protection Area (SPA) designated under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds to offer habitat for birds, including the critically endangered black wheatear, once such a common sight in the Douro’s vineyards that it was nicknamed the ‘Port wine bird.’[4]
My husband and I enjoyed this meal of clams with broth and a glass of wine, plus a salad from my organic garden.
UNSUSTAINABLE FOODS
MEAT and FIN FISH: All (except wild hunted by oneself with license for that animal type), especially beef and lamb, but also pork and chicken. No fin fish is sustainable, even farmed. ALERT: It’s unlikely that most meat-loving Americans will pay attention to this, but at least consider grass-fed, locally raised, if possible, and cut back on how much each week you eat.
DAIRY: Milk and milk products, Almond milk.
MISC: olives, almonds, walnuts, rice, especially white rice, brown rice is healthier and less environmentally damaging only because it isn’t processed as completely as white rice, white flour, sugar, both cane or beet.
Of course, individual action isn’t enough unless it’s by a large group of people, but it’s still worth it.
LINKS:
www.bioversityinternational.org/e-library/publications/detail/sustainable-diets-and-biodiversity/ Note: available at this site as a free pdf download.
https://sustainablefutures.report/all-episodes/154-feeding-the-world
ENDNOTES
[1] www.sustain.ucla.edu/what-is-sustainability
[2] www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/sources-greenhouse-gas-emissions#agriculture
[4] https://www.decanter.com/learn/wine-sustainable-option-410262/