Sustainable Approaches
Meat Controversies in Popular Documentaries: A Conflict between Romanticism and Rationalism View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andreja Vezovnik
This paper examines how popular documentary movies on meat represent meat and the contemporary meat production industry. The paper examines six different documentaries released in the last 10 years. Using the methodological approach of multimodal analysis, it shows that meat is represented as a controversial food in relation to animal welfare, the impact of the meat industry on the environment, and public health. Although all of the analyzed documentaries assert that the mass production of meat is problematic, different approaches to solving the problem are presented. These include switching to a more plant-based diet, not eating meat at all, consuming plant-based meat analogues and cultured meat, hunting wildlife, and regenerative agriculture. While these solutions may all reject mass meat production as we know it, they stem from two different epistemes. One relates to romantic ideas of nature conservation, critique of industrialization, organic nature, nostalgic retrospection of pristine nature, and anthropomorphization of animals along with advocacy for animal rights. The other is based on rationalist, mechanistic, and technological approaches to nature and animals as usable commodities, and the management of nature and animals with scientific and technological innovations based on Enlightenment ideas. The paper critically engages with both epistemes and reflects on their significance in the context of the contemporary meat industry and its impact on environmental and animal welfare.
Assessing the Prevalence of Food Insecurity in Small-scale Mining Hotspots in Ghana View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jacob Obodai
The world is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2.1 Zero Hunger target by 2030. This situation has been aggravated further by the impacts of Covid-19 on global food. The total number of hungry people is gradually increasing, with Africa considerably falling short of the 2030 Zero Hunger target. Almost every subregion of Africa has seen an increase in food insecurity. This has been ascribed to conflicts and violence, climate variability, and increased exposure to increasingly complicated, frequent, and intense climate extremes. The socio-ecological footprints of mining in relation to agriculture and other land use and cover types, as well as the complex socio-economic and asymmetric power relations between mining and smallholder farming actors in terms of access to critical resources (land, water, and labour), have enormous implications for food insecurity. Despite this, such implications have received little attention in the existing literature. This study critically examines the linkages between mining and smallholder farming, as well as the implications on all four dimensions of food security (availability, access, utilisation, and stability). The study makes extensive use of quantitative survey data, interviews, and focus group discussions. Based on the findings, I argue that mining is a significant contributor to food insecurity and, consequently, to the poor health and well-being of many individuals, particularly women. In other words, mining impairs the functioning of individuals, leading to decreased well-being. Additionally, mining exacerbates ingrained social differentiations based on age, occupation, and wealth.
The Little Bug That Could: Fighting Food Loss and the Global Protein Crisis Through Insect Farming View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Aiko Tanaka
It is well known that humankind is heading towards a global protein crisis. An increase in the need for greenhouse gas-producing livestock and forest-destroying soy has already led to a worldwide imbalance between supply and demand. The practice of edible insect farming is currently attracting attention as one solution to this challenge. In some parts of the world insects have a long history of human consumption. Nutritious, protein-rich and producible without destroying natural resources, insects have excellent potential for becoming a building block of sustainable food industries. They also provide a creative way of dealing with the issue of food loss, as environmentally-minded insect farmers create micro stock feed out of products which would otherwise be discarded. In my paper I focus on the ecological insect farming practices taking place in Hiroshima, Japan, where one successful farm is using high-quality expired almonds as feed for their edible crickets. This has attracted the attention of national universities and investors alike, who are eager to support such commendable efforts. Among the production methods which make this farm unique are their commitment to traceability, a strictly almond-fed diet which positively affects nutrient levels, a low environmental footprint, and a campaign to employ and promote locally. While insect consumption is still a hard-sell in many parts of the world, I believe it is a viable step towards solving the imminent protein crisis.
