Enhancing Environment via Sustainable Food & Fiber Production

This essay discusses the critical need for sustainable food and fiber production systems to meet the demands of a growing global population, projected to reach 9-10 billion by 2050. It analyzes how these systems can be designed to not only increase food production by an estimated 70% but also maintain and enhance the environment. The paper explores the three pillars of sustainability—environmental, economic, and social—and emphasizes the importance of practices like crop rotation and reduced tillage. It also highlights the role of global organizations like UNDP and UNEP in promoting sustainable agriculture through policies and awareness programs. The essay further underscores the significance of minimizing food wastage and adopting sustainable food value chains to alleviate poverty and ensure food security. Ultimately, it advocates for a collective responsibility involving farmers, scientists, and the general public in embracing sustainable practices to safeguard the future of civilization and food security.

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Sustainable resource management can be defined as the use of resources in such a way
that the future generation will also be able to utilize the resources without any extreme scarcity.
Sustainable resource management us the usage of available resources in a way that creates an
ability of a system to thrive by maintaining economic viability and also nourishing the needs of
the present and the future generations by limiting resource overexploitation that can lead to
depletion (Reisch, Eberle & Lorek, 2013). The respective paper is a descriptive essay that talks
about ways by which sustainable food and fiber protection can be carried out globally so that the
growing population of the world can be fed and environmental conservation can also be
maintained. The paper is an analysis and evaluation of sustainable resource management along
with scholarly and statistical data that would determine the written information.
To understand what sustainability in food production actually is, the three pillars on
which environmental sustainability is founded have to be analyzed and evaluated. Sustainable
food production is a way that would allow the producers to keep producing sustainable crops
which intrinsically means that sustainable food production will not harm the elements of the
environment, such as soil, air or water and make the environment ready for growing crops
anytime. Sustainability is based on three pillars, which are: environmental, economic and social
pillars that states that economy is enriched with sustainability, environment is protected and
social good is caused by providing harmless food to the mankind (Purvis, Mao & Robinson,
2019).
Sustainable food production can be called “a method of production of food utilizing
processes and systems that are least polluting, have the capabilities of conserving non- renewable
energy and natural resources, are economically efficient, ensures safety for workers,
communities and consumers and also do not compromise the needs of the future generation”. It

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has been estimated that by 2050, the aggregate population of the world will reach to 9.1 billion.
Food production also has to be increased to at least up to 70 per cent. More food need to be
produced with the usage of less land and in addition to it, water and energy would also become a
limited factor. However, the producers of food should also understand that sustainable food
products have to be dense in nutrients that will also allow people to have a diverse diet that
would contain a balanced amount of energy and nutrients to support good health. It has to be
remembered that, in many parts of the world, farming is the main occupation
(Unenvironment.org., 2020). Global food production mechanisms are expected to change in
order to minimize their negative impacts on the environment. Agriculture is also a man made
activity and it also contributes to a numerous issues such as water scarcity, soil erosion and
degredation, destruction of ecosystem and biodiversity and usage of chemicals that can cause
acid rain, soil pollution and food poisoning among the consumers as well. Through proper
research, it has been found out that 25 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions are directly as
well as indirectly caused by crop production and rearing of animals in husbandries and poultries
(Unenvironment.org., 2020).
Sustainable and resource efficient agricultural practices help the farmers to adapt the
changing nature of production, sustain their flow of income and livelihood and also reduce the
greenhouse gas emissions from different activities of farming. One of the most significant
contributions of sustainable food production is the development of sustainable food value chains
that paves the way of many different and innovative ways of handling and eradicating poverty.
For instance, through sustainable farming, farmers could be linked to high value export markets.
Another main goal of sustainable food production is the minimization of wastage of food.
According to the data of global research, up to 33 per cent of harvested food goes wasted which

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is highly obnoxious. When more than half of the world population is starving out of hunger and
scarcity of food, wastage of food and edible resources are unholy and immoral. Addressing to
food wastage by all the countries throughout the world can lead earth to a position of food
security and also minimize the environmental footprint of agricultural systems through the
sustainable supply chain (McKenzie & Williams, 2015).
Different global welfare organizations such as UNDP (United Nation Development
Program) and UNEP (United Nation Environmental Program) often design certain approaches
and activities that help in sustainable way of food production, meeting the needs of the hungry
belly at the same time, keeping the environment safe. Certain approaches and policies that UNEP
has taken to tackle and manage such issues are: framing international, national and regional
sustainability policies in the department of agriculture, approaching and utilizing sustainable
value chain and conducting a mass awareness program and social campaigns everywhere so that
population all over the globe understands the importance of sustainable farming and food
production (Blay-Palmer, Sonnino & Custot, 2016).
Certain sustainable farming practices are required to carry out that has the capability to
counterbalance some of the damages that have already been done by rash and non- sustainable
farming (Garnet et al., 2013). Crop rotation, or rather, rotational crop production can be
inculcated in the manual of sustainable food production (McKenzie & Williams, 2015). Crop
rotation can be defined as the practice of cultivating a series of different types of crops in a same
plot of land in sequenced seasons. Crop rotation is mainly done so that the soil of the farms are
not harnessed or exploited for only one set of nutrients. Crop rotation has been proven to be
reducing soil erosion to a large extent and thereby, helping farmers in sustainable food
production (Marta-Costa, & Silva, 2013). According to certain agricultural scientists, crop

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rotation is critically important in terms of improving pest control, preventing spread of farming
related disease, and also protecting fertility of soil for a considerably longer period. As the world
population is increasing day by day and there are fewer lands left for cultivation of crops, instead
of carrying out deforestation for farming, whatever soil or plot of land is getting utilized can be
reused again and again through the process of sustainable crop rotation. As crop rotations also
reduce the usage of fertilizers and pesticides, therefore, the crops that grow out of it are nutrient
rich and harmless for the mankind as well as the ecosystem (Boyabatlı, Nasiry & Zhou, 2019).
Reduction of the usage of tillage in the farms can also lead to sustainable farming.
Certain scientists and agriculturalists suggest that by reducing the reliance on traditional plowing
techniques which sometimes lead to significant soil loss and by inserting the seeds directly into
the soil, farmers can minimize erosion and enhance the fertility of soil. Such practices need to be
publicized among the farmers of the third world countries and other underdeveloped economy so
that they become aware of such malice and rectify their farming practices. Research has it that
animal welfare is also an important factor in sustainable farming. Many farmers from all over the
world have been utilizing innovative grazing management strategies, which includes alternate
and consecutive periods of grazing, keeping number of animals that can match for forage supply
and ensuring diversity in plants that can add up to sustainable farming (Forbes.com., 2020). Such
practices prevent overgrazing and also ensure productive animal rearing and pasture with greater
animal health and productivity. The general public too, apart from agriculturalists and scientists,
can add to sustainable food production. Public has to take up sustainable food production as their
social responsibility The general public can not only support organic farming, but also the
farmers who sell organic crops in the market. People have the discretion to support their local
farmers market that specializes in organic farming and sustainable agriculture. Certain

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management experts argue that when more public from all around the world would avail for
organic food whenever possible, such initiatives would be already getting its share of support
and assistance (directly or indirectly). When it comes to animal protein, organic farm raised meat
and fish can also be encouraged for consumption among the general public. Nevertheless, it also
has to be remembered that food must be bought according to the capacity of the consumers in
order to eradicate unnecessary food wastage (Forbes.com., 2020).
Sustainable farming and food production is the need of the hour as well as the basis on
which the future of the world is up to a certain extent, dependent upon. Therefore, people must
understand the importance of sustainable farming and food production so that the future of the
civilization and food security can be taken care of. The respective paper concludes to be a
descriptive essay that talks about ways by which sustainable food and fiber protection can be
carried out globally so that the growing population of the world can be fed and environmental
conservation can also be maintained. The paper concludes to be an analysis and evaluation of
sustainable resource management along with scholarly and statistical data that would determine
the written information.

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References:
Blay-Palmer, A., Sonnino, R., & Custot, J. (2016). A food politics of the possible? Growing
sustainable food systems through networks of knowledge. Agriculture and Human
Values, 33(1), 27-43.
Boyabatlı, O., Nasiry, J., & Zhou, Y. (2019). Crop planning in sustainable agriculture: Dynamic
farmland allocation in the presence of crop rotation benefits. Management Science, 65(5),
2060-2076.
Forbes.com.,(2020). Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amway/2020/01/31/up-your-
food-sustainability-smarts-and-try-these-tips-to-fuel-the-cause/#c2f501b8a767
McKenzie, F. C., & Williams, J. (2015). Sustainable food production: constraints, challenges and
choices by 2050. Food Security, 7(2), 221-233.
Purvis, B., Mao, Y., & Robinson, D. (2019). Three pillars of sustainability: in search of
conceptual origins. Sustainability science, 14(3), 681-695.
Reisch, L., Eberle, U., & Lorek, S. (2013). Sustainable food consumption: an overview of
contemporary issues and policies. Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 9(2), 7-
25.
Unenvironment.org.,(2020). Available at: https://www.unenvironment.org/regions/asia-and-
pacific/regional-initiatives/supporting-resource-efficiency/sustainable-food
Garnett, T., Appleby, M. C., Balmford, A., Bateman, I. J., Benton, T. G., Bloomer, P., ... &
Herrero, M. (2013). Sustainable intensification in agriculture: premises and
policies. Science, 341(6141), 33-34.

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Marta-Costa, A. A., & Silva, E. (2013). Approaches for sustainable farming systems assessment.
In Methods and Procedures for Building Sustainable Farming Systems (pp. 21-29).
Springer, Dordrecht.