By: Angela Lee

Increasingly, a cogent body of evidence demonstrates that the impact of global food and agricultural production and consumption patterns on environmental sustainability is not to be understated. For example, the recently published EAT-Lancet Commission report, the result of a multi-year study bringing together 37 experts from 16 countries, comes to the consensus that “[a] radical transformation of the global food system is urgently needed.” Put starkly, if we are to maintain human and planetary health, there needs to be a “great food transformation” entailing a number of significant dietary shifts, including increased consumption of plant-based foods while, in many settings, substantially limiting animal-sourced foods.

By: Angela Lee

Whether you’re splurging on avocado toast or simply struggling to get enough nutritious food to eat, the bottom line is that what you eat, where it comes from, and how it was produced all matter. As it is becoming increasingly apparent, food is not just a private concern, but rather, has wide-ranging public consequences. Purchasing patterns and market trends are promising signs that people are becoming more aware of the environmental, social, and ethical implications of their food choices, but in light of an ever-expanding population, small-scale voluntarism is clearly not enough. Accordingly, governments and policymakers have a significant role to play in terms of offering the right incentives and disincentives to promote, incentivize, and facilitate more sustainable food production and consumption practices.

By: Angela Lee

Urban agriculture refers to a wide range of food production initiatives—from growing plants to raising animals—that can occur within cities, whether in backyards, rooftops, community gardens, or public spaces. Although urban agriculture is often small-scale and diffused throughout a city, it also includes larger, commercial operations (for example, producing food in greenhouses).