Biodiversity in our daily food system

Biodiversity explains the variety of all life forms on our planet. Without this biodiversity the existence of our Planet is at stake.But what does this mean in particular for our Food system? Most of us believe that the modern way in which we use energy and transportation ist the biggest cause for environmental damage, but in fact, it's our Food System itself, that creates the most serious environmental damages.

But why is this so?

As it has been stated by many scientists, our modern Food Systems only uses 12 crops and 5 animal species, which provide an approximate 75% of our world's foods. This mass production endangers an estimated 1000 cultivated plants of extinction. Biodiversity is the most complex but also the most vital feature for a healthy planet. With further cultivation of only this small amount of crops, and the immense deployment of auxiliaries (such as pesticides) we are ruining our soil and we are decreasing all possibilities for other crops to survive and flourish. But not only that, the vast growth of the world's population puts even more pressure on how we eat and especially what we eat. So, If we continue living like this we have to ask ourselves, will we still be able to feed our world's population in 2050?

1 of 12 crops currently used by humanity

The answer to this "challenge" is the need of preserving the wild relatives of crops. There are tens of thousands of wild or rarely cultivated species that could provide a richly varied range of nutritious plant-based-foods, resistant to disease and tolerant of the changing environment. If we start now, before these crops completely extinct, we still have a chance.

What can WE do?

Greater diversity in our diets is essential, as the lack of variety in agriculture is careless towards our nature, our health and a threat to food security. Hence, changing our diets from high-impact foods towards more sustainable foods can have a huge impact. Farming animals for meat and dairy requires space and huge inputs of water and feeding. Today, one of the biggest causes of forest loss is the expansion of agricultural land for animal feeding productions, such as soy. And producing meat creates vastly more carbon dioxide than producing plants such as vegetables or grains. A more plant-focused-diet means putting plants in the centre of attention and switching animal proteins from a main to a side dish. This is the first step towards a sustainable food system.

WWF have published a list of Future 50 Foods for healthier people and a healthier planet. Diversified diets don't only improve our human health, but they also benefit the environment immensely, through diversified production systems, that encourage wildlife and an increased use of sustainable resources.

In my blog I will focus on these 50 Foods, and will inspire you, by giving you ideas and recipes showcasing these foods, helping you to improve your health and the health of  our planet, moving to  more sustainable food system.

Stay tuned and check-out all the upcoming recipes, for delicious and nutritious sustainable

dishes, which you can easily prepare in your own kitchen.