Food Fight

The UN believe farming has been generally ignored in climate talks. A Food Systems Summit has been set up with the brief of examining ways of reducing hunger and improving global food systems, as the climate crisis intensifies and biodiversity is threatened (https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/mar/04/farmers-and-rights-groups-boycott-food-summit-over-big-business-links). The Food Systems Summit (important, as it is), has not got off to a good start. Many farming and ecological groups are convinced the proposed meeting is already biased in favour of corporate, hi-tech intensive farming. They think that approaches like agro-ecology are completely missing. Some of these same groups think that the corporate sector are (at least partly) responsible for rather than being a solution for the growth of hunger and disease. Intensive agriculture also has a powerful negative effect on biodiversity. Some of the groups are calling for a boycott of the conference. It is to be hoped that they can be brought onboard, as we really must talk about food.