Jon Condon wrote a very interesting article recently about how Australian consumers need to change their thinking regarding sustainable food sources.
In todays world consumers are constantly being misled about the impact of some types of agriculture & they are being ‘greenwashed’ into thinking that certain types of technology-intensive agriculture are not environmentally friendly.
In todays world consumers are constantly being misled about the impact of some types of agriculture & they are being ‘greenwashed’ into thinking that certain types of technology-intensive agriculture are not environmentally friendly.
This is leading them to make food choices that favour organic & free-range type production methods. What consumers don’t understand is that these methods are actually less efficient per unit of output because they use more water & feed resources & produce more greenhouse gas emissions than other ‘tech-savy’ methods. Intensive agriculture is actually significantly more sustainable than most people are aware, with resource use efficiency improving remarkably compared to the past.
The FAO reports that global food production has to double by 2050 & with limitations in land & natural resource availability 70% of this increase in production will come through new technology. So not only do farmers need to be able to adopt new technology but consumers need to be able to aswell, they need to change their food preferences to ensure we can meet this demand in global food production.
While consumers think they are being ‘socially responsible’ with their current food choices they may in fact be being ‘socially-irresponsible’ as their demand for an inefficient product actually leads to higher food costs. Something that the third world, & maybe even Australians in the future, won’t be able to afford.