My research question was “Why did the project “food for the future” choose the products: Andean crops, pulses and seaweed. Are these sustainable?”.
The project itself
- Unique project
- Feed growing global population -> sustainable way
- Three sustainable food chains products from the South
- low environmental impact
- offer farmers producing products new opportunities
- By 2050
- Over 9 billion people on the planet
- 70% of which will live in cities
- Up to 50% more food in the current food system to be able to feed this growing global population
- Increasing production = not enough
- What? and how? = more important
- Products: efficient and healthy + low environmental impact
- Andean crops (quinoa)
- Planted in different climatic conditions
- Grow in temperatures between -4 and 35 C° and at great heights (up to 4000m)
- Only requires little fertilisation and water and grows on saline soil
- planted in different contexts -> resistant against effects of climate change
- Pulses
- healthy and nutritious:
- rich in protein, fibres, vitamins, minerals and amino acids
- poor in saturated fat and trans fat
- Affordable -> poorer consumers in developing countries
- Daily consumption -> prevent diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and colon cancer
- Affordable substitute for meat
- Dried food = long expiration date without losing any nutritional value
- Seaweed
- Not only within the food industry
- Used to make fertiliser, fuel, resource for synthetics, cosmetics, textiles, and binding agents
- High nutritional value and health benefits
- high amount of protein, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, ballast substances and iron
- Healthy substitute for salt and gelatin
- BUT still number of unanswered questions
Sustainable?
Production
- Low CO2 emission
- crop rotation
- respect for and reinforcing biodiversity
- countering/minimalising negative impact of climate change (agro-ecology)
- transport by boat, future-oriented, etc
=> YES
=> They choose the products because they are healthy and sustainable!
