Food Systems
Food Systems: The value chain for food. From production, processing, packaging,
consumption etc
Agriculture: derived from latin agricultura- ager, "a field" cultura, "cultivation”
Is agriculture wholly representative of the food system(s)?
Some Basic Working Facts
• Energy can be transformed. But it can not be created or destroyed.
• First law of thermodynamics - Principle on Conservation of Energy: (from potential to kinetic- heat/work)
• The smallest unit of matter: ATOM? Electron, neutron?
• What are we? A form of Energy?
Some Basic Working Facts
States of Matter• Solid State• Liquid• Gaseous• % loss of energy at every conversion?
What happens to the food that you eat? An apple?Is it possible to extract 100% of the energy
from an apple? Seeds etc!Is the human = to an Ecosystem?
Some Basic Working Facts
At a Systems LevelInterdependent ecological systems regulate each other
through the energy that they transmit from one level to another or from one system to another.
- What if the system mutates?- Are humans mutated?
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS)
Diverse systems maintain stable ecology and a balanced energy supply system.
Linear systems are unstable, disruptive, distabilize other systems and have a poor
energy balance with nature.
Forests, Plantation, Farm?
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS)
How did people feed themselves in the old times? Was it sustainable?
What has changed?
What are the significant events that have lead to the "the breaking down of the
complex food webs" into “the simple food chains”.
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS)
Some triggers to the DEEMS
Agriculture
Innovations from war
Fossil Fuel
Transport System
Quest for Efficiency- New Age
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS): IMPACTS-Food Chain Systems (NOW)
How did they come up with these figures?
Is it good to export these kinds of foods?
Water stress to other plants?
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS): IMPACTS
How did they come up with these figures?
Is it good to export these kinds of foods?
Water stress to other plants?
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS): CASE
The 12 largest flower firms with hundreds of hectares of flowers, fruit and vegetables in Kenya (Naivasha) supply supermarkets in European market. What are they actually exporting?
One farm takes water normally available to more than 100,000 small holder farmers.
What are the impacts?
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS): IMPACTS
What drives this specific industry that does not only change the peoples landscape to sustainably grow their own food- but also destroy a whole ecosystems?
Money?
Politics?
Psychological Manipulation?
Disruptive Episodes on Ecosystems (DEEMS): The FUTURE
Where do we want to be?How do we get there?Is it possible to re-engage with food webs as
opposed to linear food chains? How will the 7+ billion get their food in the
future? Design a food system for the future: that will
meet all these challenges: Consider Policy+Infrastructure+Food Systems
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