Sustainable Food Production System

Whilst the industrialisation of the food industry has created a wide variety of systemic problems, the solutions can also be systemic. The following describes a sustainable food production system i.e. craft food production.

Moving back to small-scale, organic farming and craft food production would create a comprehensive range of systemic benefits as described below in the comparison with industrial farming.

Sustainable Food Production System

Comparing industrial food production to craft food production

Industrial food
production
Craft food
production
Creates systemic problems
typified by large-scale, standardisation, monoculture, high energy, high synthetic inputs, centralised, automated, inhumane, unhealthy, destructive
Creates systemic solutions
typified by small scale, diversity, low energy, fewer synthetic inputs, organic, local, labour-intense, humane, healthy and constructive
High Energy
About one-fifth of all energy used in western economies is for growing, processing and distribution of food. In America today it takes approximately 10 calories of fossil fuel energy to produce one calorie of food energy.
Low energy
Significantly less fossil fuel use, and energy use generally.
Reduces soil fertility
Industrial farming methods change the profile of soils and strip the soil of nutrients, both organic and inorganic. Sick soils become less and less productive and require increasing inputs. In some cases, land has to be ‘retired out’ which can result in erosion and even the desertification of previously fertile land.
Increases soil fertility
Organic farming works more like nature. It builds up the health of the soil, mitigating the need for synthetic fertilisers. Organic content in the soil also sequesters carbon. Eminent soil scientist Dr Ratan Lal has calculated that if all the arable soils on earth increased their carbon content by just 2%, that would sequester all the carbon emitted in a year.
Automated and motorised
Industrial farming has reduced the number of people working on the land. This has resulted in urban drift and the centralisation of food processing in cities.
Labour intensive
Small scale farms employ more people because they are more labour intensive. Overall this would reduce unemployment in rural areas and also reduce urban drift from rural areas to overpopulated cities.
Inhumane
Industrial farming regularly uses inhumane methods such as battery farmed hens, caged pigs, and feedlots for cattle.
Just ‘food’
Fresh, local, organic food is more healthy than processed food. Our diets and general health would be improved and many modern lifestyle diseases would be reduced.
Standardised
Industrial farming encourages the standardisation of food crops. Just three crops – wheat, rice and corn – make up 43% of all the food that is eaten in the world.
Diverse
Small-scale farming leads to a wider variety of produce, even on a single farm because they use intensive farming techniques rather than extensive ones. Local and traditional tastes are catered for and hierloom varieties of produce are grown.
Centralised
When food is processed in central-hub cities and then distributed far and wide, even globally, there are a lot of unnecessary food miles added.
Local
Local food creates community and connection. It helps local economies. It reduces food miles. It lends itself to local craft production.
Excess packaging
The industrial food system tends to supply unnecessary, excess packaging
Less packaging
There would be much less packaging because fresh, raw food has less packaging. Branding won’t be king! Also with more food being sold locally in farmers markets and produce markets
Ready-made meals
The industrial food system processes food to such a point that you don’t need to do any preparation at home, just heat it up.
Home-made meals
Preparing meals from raw ingredients is ‘taking the value added back’ as EF Schumacher said. In his terms, it is ‘good work’. Preparing meals is creative and fulfilling in a way that ready-made meals could never be. It is a form of love for your family and friends.