Ecosystems and Well-being

Current agricultural production systems have been calibrated to maximise return on investment, and utilises large amounts of inputs in terms of agrochemicals and energy. However, such production systems often ignore, (i) the contribution of ecosystem functions and services to the production systems, (ii) social aspects of farming, and (iii) the impact of intensive practices on public and environmental health. Thus these systems are increasing financial capital at the expense of both social and natural capital. Moreover, current economic and policy environment also supports such systems by subsidising agriculture with the costs to public and environment health. At the same time, these systems can appear to be more profitable than some of the sustainable alternatives due to their unrecognised and unaccounted costs associated with the above-mentioned damage that they are not being charged for.  Therefore, there is need to recalibrate current agricultural systems by un...

How do we measure the true costs of food production? by  Sustainable Food Trust  on  3 June, 2016  in  Business and Food ,  Videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cphtn5j8dA How do we measure the true costs of food and put a price on the positive and negative impacts that food production has on the environment, society and public health? This session examines different frameworks and methods for quantifying and monetising these costs and looks at how these can influence farmers, policymakers and investors. There is a strong consensus that working towards a common framework for assessing sustainability will be critically important in undertaking meaningful comparisons between the sustainability of different food and farming systems. Chaired by Alexander Müller, Study Leader, TEEBAgFood, the speakers in this session present their different approaches and findings and explain how governments, companies and researchers are tackling the chall...

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hidden-costs-of-american-food-revealed-300254196.html The hidden cost of seemingly cheap food production is damaging the planet, driving human disease and jeopardizing food workers exposed to toxins every day. Experts who gathered at the  True Cost of American Food  conference in San Francisco this past weekend said for every dollar American consumers pay for food, the country is spending up to two dollars to fight diseases linked to poor food production, worker abuse and environmental harms. "The bill consumers pay at the grocery checkout does not reflect the true cost Americans are actually paying for food," said Patrick Holden, chief executive of the Sustainable Food Trust. "We have to recognize this before we can do a better job growing our food, educating society to make informed decisions and incentivizing farmers and sustainable practices – and thereby save both lives and money." One promising soluti...