What is #28: Agriculture
Learning from toxic relationships
Remember that relationship that broke your heart and left you feeling unlovable—until you realized you’re amazing, but you had put your trust in the wrong place? Well, that’s the toxic relationship we have with agriculture today. Luckily for us, we can use the wisdoms of our difficult pasts for good! 😎
Agriculture, forestry and other land use management practices (aka the AFOLU sector) produce between 13% and 21% of global GHG emissions: methane from cows farts and rice paddies, nitrous oxide from fertilizers, and carbon dioxide from soil degradation and deforestation. Also, water carrying pesticides and fertilizers is ending up in the seas creating dead zones.
Climate change has responded with weather patterns that disrupt harvests, increase pests and diseases, shorten growing seasons, and reduce crop yields. These impacts lead to economic losses, food shortages, and increased prices that affect low-income and vulnerable populations the hardest.
We’ve been ignoring the red flags. At this point, our friends would be asking “why are you letting this pass?” But no shaming here!
Mechanized, mono-crop, multi-harvest, high-yield, high-tech, high-capital, synthetic fertilizer and pesticide-infused agriculture (aka intensive agriculture) has promised us to feed the world. That’s a noble cause, so we might not see its toxicity because it’s obviously immoral to starve people.
However, the soil is not a renewable resource and intensive agriculture is eroding it faster than an ice age. Even more, a third of the world's food is grown by smallholder farmers who are losing their traditional practices, falling into debt, or even losing their lands as they try to fit in supply chains dominated by large-scale producers.
It’s time to start addressing this toxic relationship, so choose your favourite playlist and go find your allies, cuz we’re making the courageous decision to change!
Here’s some steps I think we can follow to overcome our toxic relationship with intensive agriculture:
Identify toxic behavior - Inform yourself about its impacts
Build your community - Support climate-resilient agriculture, agroforestry, soil carbon sequestration, and other solutions that can reduce GHG emissions
Change bad habits - Reduce your meat and dairy intake when possible, reduce your food waste by planning meals and preserving food, and avoid oil palm products
We deserve love! - Advocate for government policies and investments that integrate the knowledge and needs of marginalized groups
Uplift others - Use your skills to ensure that carbon markets, climate finance, and other support reach smallholder farmers and vulnerable groups
You can also check the FAO’s solutions, and if you have more suggestions, please share them in comments.