Bruna Martins Gomes Dellova
Translation: Ligia Payão Chizolini
Food systems are the broad set of elements, such as individuals, environments, inputs, institutions, infrastructure, and activities involved in the production, processing, distribution, preparation, consumption, and disposal of food. These systems are interconnected with other systems, such as economic, social, health, energy, trade, and environment. The interaction of all these elements, in turn, must be handled in the most balanced way possible, resulting in Sustainable Food Systems.
By definition, these would be systems capable of providing Food and Nutritional Security and promoting adequate and healthy diets, ensuring good nutrition for the entire society in a way that does not compromise the economic, social, and environmental foundations necessary to guarantee FNS (Food and Nutritional Security) for future generations. Although most food systems today are based on a globalized capitalist market model, some still maintain a close relationship with culture and nature, resulting in less aggressive and more sustainable production for the environment.
In the current dynamics of food systems, which are worsening due to the stimulation of mining, especially for rare earth metals, we can group Brazil into four major food system categories based on data from the Revised Multidimensional Index of Sustainable Food Systems for Brazil (MISFS-R, 2022). Its most recent version, published in 2022, consists of 46 indicators divided into the four dimensions of food systems—environmental, social, economic, and nutritional. In this index, the mapping of food systems takes into account the cross-referencing of factors such as water availability and quality, pesticide use, deforestation, food security, physical and financial access to food, obesity and malnutrition, breastfeeding, and access to electricity, among others.
The states in the Midwest, plus Acre, Tocantins, and Rondônia, have received political incentives for agricultural production since the 1960s and have now become the "capital of agribusiness." With intensive and large-scale production, it is in these states that environmental indicators have performed the worst. The greatest greenhouse gas emissions, the largest carbon footprint in food production, and the highest number of pesticide poisoning notifications are the major problems of this system. It is also the system with the lowest consumption of ultra-processed foods, considering mainly that it is the largest food-producing region (which exponentially increases the supply and exposure to fresh food) and also the largest exporter (Carvalho et al., 2022).
The southern and southeastern states have the highest gender and racial inequality in the countryside, the highest pesticide use, and the second-highest number of pesticide poisoning notifications in agriculture. The social dimension of these regions had a positive aspect of better physical and financial access to food; however, greater gender and race/skin color inequality was identified in management positions of rural properties. In these regions, the basic food basket had the highest price, and in terms of the nutritional dimension, a lower prevalence of chronic malnutrition and food-related diseases was observed (Carvalho et al., 2022).
In the northeastern states, we find the worst scores for nutritional, income, and productivity indicators. The colonial past of sugarcane has left an unequal land distribution and little appreciation for the available labor force. To this day, the state has not been able to promote the necessary structural changes for the socio-economic development of these states. Positively, it is the region that emits the least greenhouse gases in food production and uses the least freshwater in agriculture. Recently, it has been the area that has made the most agricultural transitions, meaning preserved areas have been converted for agricultural use. It has the lowest cost for a basic food basket and the highest gender equity in management positions.
The states covered by the Amazon rainforest have the highest concentration of preserved areas in the country. Despite the rich biodiversity, they have the worst food insecurity scenario, with less access to and availability of food, less dietary diversity, and a higher burden of chronic child malnutrition. These states also show lower productivity and income in the food production sector, as well as less infrastructure (Carvalho et al., 2022).
The complexity of food systems is evident, as is the homogenization of these systems. Involving various factors, it is expected that significant interference occurs, which has been accelerating due to human actions and preferences. This is a volatile scenario, and we end up with the current food system design—unsustainable. The concentration of land, monoculture production, excessive water and soil use, pesticide and GMO use, waste, and the long distances between producers and consumers result in high environmental impacts.
Finally, we emphasize that the trends observed for the coming years will largely be driven by the intensification of changes in eating habits. The increased use of food delivery apps, initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the closure of restaurants and fast-food outlets, has given people much greater access to ultra-processed foods. The "online market" dynamic, in this sense, favors large retail chains much more, reducing the exposure of small farmers at farmers' markets, for example. There is also a decrease in the consumption of meat and other sophisticated products (such as olive oil) due to factors such as the global economic slowdown, increased unemployment, and reduced per capita income (Embrapa, 2020).
References
CARVALHO, Aline Martins de; GARRIDO, Giovanna; MARCHIONI, Dirce Maria Lobo; NORTE, Marina Manutenção; NUNES-GALBES, Nadine Marques; PORCIÚNCULA, Laura; SARTI, Flávia Mori. Measuring food systems sustainability in heterogenous countries: The Brazilian multidimensional index updated version applicability. Sustain. Dev. 31, 91–107. doi: 10.1002/sd.2376.
AGUADO, Mateo; GONZÁLEZ, José A.; OTEROS-ROZAS, Eliza; RUIZ-ALMEIDA, Adriana; RIVERA-FERRE, Marta G. Uma análise sócio-ecológica do sistema agroalimentar global. Processo. Nacional. Acad. Ciência. 116, 26465–26473. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1912710116.
SEIXAS, Mario Alves. Segurança Alimentar pós-covid-19: megatendências dos sistemas alimentares globais. Série Diálogos Estratégicos (NT34). Brasília: EMBRAPA, 2020. Disponível em: https://ainfo.cnptia.embrapa.br/digital/bitstream/item/2155006/1/Seguranca-alimentar-pos-Vocid19.pdf. Acesso em 23 AGO 2024.
SCHNEIDER, K., FANZO, J., Haddad, L., HERRERO, M., MONCAYO, JR, HERFORTH, A., et al. (2023). O estado dos sistemas alimentares em todo o mundo na contagem regressiva para 2030. Nat. Food 4, 1090–1110. doi: 10.1038/s43016-023-00885-9.
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