ICAp will share experience on sustainability in the agri-food sector with Colombians

Dr. Gabriela Medina Pérez
Professor assigned to the Sustainable Food Program at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences (ICAp).

How does our food impact on health, environmental balance and economic development? Among other problems, humanity faces a lack of supply, the irrational consumption of natural resources during production, the excessive generation of waste that damages the environment during the manufacturing process, as well as the production and consumption of foods with high calorie content and little or no health benefits.

Faced with this reality, the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo (UAEH), in 2016 created the Bachelor's Degree in Sustainable Food, which is taught at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, located in the Ex hacienda of Aquetzalpa, in the municipality of Tulancingo, Hidalgo.

As part of its activities of cultural dissemination and linkage of the study program, a group of academics organized the event "Colombia-Mexico 2020. Sustainability in the agri-food sector", which will be held virtually on September 22 and 23.

What are sustainable and sustainable foods?

Sustainable foods are safe and healthy because they are produced without pesticides or dangerous chemicals, antibiotics or growth-promoting supplements. Having a better understanding of what it means for a food to be sustainable could help us make more informed choices, allowing us to weigh products and brands more easily, i.e., to consume more consciously.

Sustainable food is not just food, it is a combination of factors including how it is produced, how it is distributed, how it is packaged and how it is consumed. Simple issues such as how far a food has traveled play an important role. But it's much more complicated than that.

When considering food sustainability, there are many other factors at play such as resource use, environmental impact and animal husbandry that affect sustainability, in addition to considerations in health, social and economic impact.

This does not imply that food production is no longer profitable. On the contrary, sustainable agriculture aims to maintain or increase production while sustaining environmental benefits, for example.

This type of agriculture requires an understanding of the ecosystem surrounding the production area, as this will protect the diversity of native plants and animals, while meeting the needs of the market and its production system. Agriculture that aims to be sustainable must protect biodiversity, i.e. benefit plants, animals and the environment. Sustainable agriculture must also protect soil fertility for future food production.

Sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry support the production of organic and low-carbon food, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. It also avoids the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

Sustainable farmers use husbandry techniques that protect animal health and welfare. They provide grazing and allow them to move freely. No animal is confined to a cage or restricted holding pens.

All of this ensures that animals are treated with care and respect. Likewise, sustainable food brands pay workers a living wage along with safe, hygienic and fair conditions; they support local and regional economies that provide jobs and build stronger communities. Nutrition is also playing an increasingly important role in defining sustainable food because there is a growing movement to consume plant-based foods, with greater emphasis on whole foods and fewer processed ingredients.

Colombia, an example to follow

The South American country Colombia ranks number ten among 25 countries evaluated in the Food Sustainability Index, conducted in 2017 by The Economist's Economic Intelligence Unit and the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition. India ranks last; while Argentina, Mexico and Brazil ranked below Colombia, in 14th, 15th and 20th place respectively.

For this reason, Dr. Elizabeth Pérez-Soto, Dr. Rubén Jiménez-Alvarado, Dr. Rafael Campos Montiel and Dr. Gabriela Medina-Pérez, members of the academic and research team of the Sustainable Food degree program of the UAEH, decided to organize the Mexico-Colombia meeting, sustainability in the agri-food sector with the participation of Dr. Laura Natali Afanador-Bartiel and Dr. Laura Natali Afanador-Bartiel. Laura Natali Afanador-Barajas, from the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the Central University of Bogota, and Dr. Jairo Ricardo Hernández-Niño, researcher of the Environmental Biology program of the Unitrópico University Foundation in Yopal-Casanare, Colombia.

Both researchers, experts in sustainability, will address topics such as the design of biofertilizers and human nutrition, and their relationship with forest-collecting fungi, in an extensive program of virtual activities on September 22 and 23.

Dr. Alfredo Madariaga-Navarrete and Dr. Uriel López Palestina will participate from Mexico, and Dr. Jorge Guitierrez-Tlahque from the Tecnológico Nacional de México, Zitácuaro, Michoacán, will participate from the UAEH Sustainable Food Program.