A friend once told me of her intention to switch to consuming plant-based milks as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to regular milk, but faced many hurdles in doing so. Apart from the fact that certain types of plant milk (e.g. oat) are much more expensive than regular milk, the issue of additional food miles incurred by the import of these food products also adds a new layer to this dilemma.
We all know that supporting local farms, fisheries and businesses is the way to go if one is determined to cut down on food miles. After all, it takes less fossil fuels (and consequently, less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions) for food to be transported locally, as compared to the amount racked up by regional or global food supply chains.
But hold on – just because a business is local does not also mean that it is a more environmentally-friendly option. FoodPrint (2020) warns that there is no guarantee that all local farms use sustainable, non-pollutive methods to cultivate their crops and livestock. This may be attributed to the absence of environmental certifications which regulate the methods farm owners can employ for local farms in many parts of the world. It also implies that your locally-grown produce may still be raised with commercial non-organic fertilisers whose nitrogen and phosphorus components continue to pollute the soil, water and surrounding air.
Another important note regarding food miles is that they are a good indicator of the distance food travels to reach your plate, but also just a fraction of the true environmental cost of our food system. In other words, food products which bear a minimal amount of food miles may in fact be extremely pollutive or less energy efficient in other ways. For example, the growing of tomatoes or strawberries in greenhouses with artificial heating or cooling systems may sometimes require more energy than just importing them from nearby countries which specialise in their production. Likewise, it would be a terribly inefficient use of energy if we started to cultivate winter crops or Atlantic salmon in Singapore for the sole purpose of supporting local businesses!
However, the point of this post is not to invalidate the benefits of supporting local farms, fisheries and businesses. Rather, it aims to be a starting point for us to discuss the extent of which doing so will help minimise environmental pollution. Personally, I think the #supportlocal movement works much better in larger countries and cities which have vibrant agricultural landscapes, as compared to places like Singapore. Although vertical urban farming seems like a viable supplement to vegetable imports from nearby Asian countries, we will have to wait and see if it eventually becomes a full-fledged solution capable of ensuring self-sufficiency.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on this post in the comment section too!
See you next week,
Jialing
Reference List
FoodPrint (2020) Local and Regional Food Systems. Available at: https://foodprint.org/issues/local-regional-food-systems/ (Accessed: 25 October 2020).