Evolution Of Smart Food For Sustainability

Compiled By Mr. Jacob Jose – PDS Organic Spices – Marketing Head

Food Systems are the combination of all actions it takes to produce and consume our food on a day-to-day basis–from farm to fork to land fill. Food systems include any activity that produces, aggregates, processes, distributes, consumes or disposes off food.

United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation – UNFAO

Challenges to overcome

• Food systems produce around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
• Poor diets are the main contributor to the global burden of disease.
• Unsustainable income for farmers.

There are 400,000 plant species in the world, and about 300,000 are edible for humans. However, at present only about 150 species are actively cultivated and consumed.

Maize, Rice, Wheat and Potatoes are the most consumed food crops in the world.

• Just 15crops provide 90% of global energy intake.
• Most of these crops are high input intensive, causes high emissions, High water usage, Low profitability, have volatile markets, vulnerable to climatic pressures.
• Global food supply extremely susceptible to pests or diseases, since farms are dominated by a few lineages of crops.

How to overcome

Increase Agro-Biodiversity in Our Farms

Global Action Plan for Agricultural Diversification (GAPAD)

What is smart food from sustainability perspective

Smart Food is food that fulfil all criteria of being

• Good for people (nutritious and healthy)
• Good for the planet (environmentally sustainable, low foot prints)
• Good for the farmers (Low water consumption, Input efficiency, climate smart, potential to increase yields, multiple uses)
• Smart Food is one solution that addresses some of the largest global issues in unison: poor diets (from malnutrition to obesity) and hidden hunger; environmental issues (climate change, water scarcity and environmental degradation); and poverty.
• ” Sustainable diets are diets with low environmental impact which contribute to food and nutrition security” – UNFAO.
• Currently the millets, sorghum and grain legumes as the top three smart foods.
• We can label Tuber Crops as Smart foods.