Why We Need to Grow More Indigenous Foods

Рет қаралды 24,146

2 жыл бұрын

The industrialization of food harshly impacts developing countries - but growing more indigenous foods might offer a solution.
» Sign up for our newsletter KnowThis to get the biggest stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox: go.nowth.is/knowthis_youtube
» Subscribe to NowThis Earth: go.nowth.is/Earth_Subscribe
This video was created in partnership with Eat Forum, the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and the IKEA Foundation.
Our global farming system has failed to feed the world’s population but growing more diverse foods might be a way to fix this. Despite producing enough food in a year to feed the plant, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization found that an estimated 2.4 billion people faced moderate to severe food insecurities in 2020. Laura Pereira is a researcher at Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stellenbosch University, and Utrecht University. Her research focuses on the industrialization of the food system and how it affects developing countries.
Between 1960 and 2000, yields for those primary crops rose dramatically in developing countries: 208% for wheat, 109% for rice, 157% for maize, 78% for potatoes, and 36% for cassava. Although the green revolution’s goal was to create more food for the planet, subsidies incentivized the production of single crops and we ended up with too much of those foods. Alternative uses for these crops had to be explored. In the US, for example, corn has been so heavily subsidized that farmers grew too much for the population to eat so now it’s used in things like bio fuel, animal feed, fructose syrup, and adhesives.
Another effect of this boost in production, Pereira says, is a reduction in the production of less profitable crops that could provide a more balanced diet. While communities are increasingly focused on growing cash crops for their economic benefits they are also moving further away from growing food to meet their own nutritional needs. Pereira says that one solution to this problem is to grow more food that is indigenous to the land, rather than applying technology to grow foreign crops. This would decrease monoculture, help reduce the need to buy cheap unhealthy food, and provide a larger variety of foods to get nutrients from.
#Food #FoodSecurity #Climate #Earth #Environment #Science #NowThis
Connect with NowThis
» Subscribe to NowThis News: go.nowth.is/News_Subscribe
» Like us on Facebook: go.nowth.is/News_Facebook
» Tweet us on Twitter: go.nowth.is/News_Twitter
» Follow us on Instagram: go.nowth.is/News_Instagram
» Find us on Snapchat Discover: go.nowth.is/News_Snapchat
NowThis Earth is daily news coverage of climate, sustainability, biodiversity, species extinction, environmental justice, and other planetary concerns.
NowThis is your premier news outlet providing you with all the videos you need to stay up to date on all the latest in trending news. From entertainment to politics, to viral videos and breaking news stories, we’re delivering all you need to know straight to your social feeds. We live where you live.
/ nowthisearth
@NowThisEarth

Пікірлер: 33

@zombieseedz3890 2 жыл бұрын

As a seed farmer, I have seen alot of improvement in my plants (need less water, grow better and healthier) if I use the seed that I collected the year before. The 'story' or 'programming' within the seed knows the soil it was grown in. It is important to recognize the incredible nature of Indigenous seeds and support great local Indigenous initiatives that are collecting, protecting and growing out indigenous food staples. As a person of pale skin colour and beneficiary of colonial structures in place, I work towards my recociliation by working with Indigenous people and their seed. Get permission or at least communicate with the communities that grow the original seeds. Ask them about the stories of those foods and keep those stories alive and well.

@faithholaday7336 2 жыл бұрын

Yes!!!! Can i ask where you run this operation?

@teaesterhiggins3091 2 жыл бұрын

I was raised in the South, Mississippi and Tennessee. We ate so much yellow & white corn and by products of corn that I am now allergic to corn and pork and anything that has corn in it. What a shame that we have poisoned our food by limiting variety to the point that people are now allergic. Please don’t forget me started on wheat. Variety is the spice of life.

@vg2448 2 жыл бұрын

I love the idea of having more variety in my diet. I'd happily buy other foods. It'd keeps my meals more enjoyable.

@kaushikmalepati2495 2 жыл бұрын

Farmers follow where the money goes, hopefully the consumers and government takes efforts to mitigate monoculture disaster they created.

@muhdfauzibmohdrais3844 2 жыл бұрын

I've always wanted to eat the original and natural versions of our usual fruits and crops.

@voenarox78kk 2 жыл бұрын

right like going back to our roots for crops! i like grew up on tv dinners and it seems like the developers of their food tried to make those more divers and "heaththy" rather than teaching us how to cook

@gre3nishsinx0Rgold4 2 жыл бұрын

I would prefer more variety in the foods that we eat. I sometimes get sick and tired of all the "staple" foods like corn and potatoes. There's only so much culinary combinations you can do with those ingredients.

@andydutton455 2 жыл бұрын

I love all the people trying to save seeds and fruit trees.

@michellezevenaar 2 жыл бұрын

I'm happy it was pointed out that corn is heavily subsidised in the US and that's why there is so much of it grown. I love eating really corn but don't like all the corn syrup used in processed foods making them overly sweet.

@beth8775 2 жыл бұрын

Trying to engineer drought resistant corn instead of just growing the native already-drought-resistant crop... 😒

@johnhines5107 2 жыл бұрын

My thoughts exactly. Good video until the very end.

@kiyahnichols759 2 жыл бұрын

I've grown both types and based on my personal experience, the hybrid (yellow/white) corn is more suitable for eating the way we're used to eating corn. The colorful corn wasn't as juicy or sweet and was better for drying and grinding into cornmeal which is the way I believe indegenous populations used it.

@freya002YT 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome

@LVXMagick 2 жыл бұрын

Might even trigger other positive ecosystem changes. Great research and video. Thanks 🙏

@tthatesu2 2 жыл бұрын

Give me a list and where to get the seeds and I’ll grow it.

@jacobedward2401 2 жыл бұрын

Food gardens for everyone!

@SiSwitzer 2 жыл бұрын

This astonishingly obvious really….. you could actually call the path of least resistance 🙌🤷‍♂️

@quietyard8014 2 жыл бұрын

Is this why tofu is more expensive than chicken? Or linseed oil costs more than walnut oil?

@illegirl1220 2 жыл бұрын

Don’t indigenous corn become rare because farmer been made to farm these genetic modified corn? Tho yes I think indigenous food is a way to go. Their ancestor last good with that food, and it’s more cultural appropriate

@appalachiafungorum 2 жыл бұрын

I was given a small packet of native pole beans (66 viable seeds), planted them, saved seed and the following year grew out 10 gallons of dry bean (some to be replanted, some eaten) and several bushels of green beans all while giving seed away to others. I was given them by a tribal member under the condition that I don't sell them, ever. These beans grow 20'+ and just keep giving til the frost comes. We don't need capitalism to feed people, just more sharing and less waste.

@kiyahnichols759 2 жыл бұрын

Would you be willing to share with a youtube comment reader☺ Since you promised not to sell them, I'd be willing to pay for the shipping. I've tried pole beans from 3 different seed companies for the last 2 years (new to homesteading) and have had only mediocre results. We've tried both heirloom and hybrid seeds.

@jamesfox2857 2 жыл бұрын

Thank You , , ,

@nwolinsP 2 жыл бұрын

Our food production systems is a holocausts. Specifically, if causes millions of premature deaths a year. In addition, we re dependent on corn, wheat and rice. A failure in one of those three crops would cause a crisis.

@naakatube 2 жыл бұрын

🌼🌼🌼❤️❤️❤️🌿🌿🌿

@vistrode9604 2 жыл бұрын

You can thank big corporations for this !!?

@user-cv1jb9xv2p 2 жыл бұрын

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

@momc1134 2 жыл бұрын

Big question to ask is just who profits from this type of monocrop food system where corn is no longer food.

@thesilentone4024 2 жыл бұрын

We have zero food problem we have a food diversity problem. Fun 100% tru fact 90% or more of are food has corn in it your gas tank has corn in it dont believe me look up where that ethil stuff in the gas comes from. 1 more fun fact we have so much corn we have it in oils for cooking potatoe chips were cooked in corn oil your car has corn in the tank are cow and pig farms feed them corn same with chickens and we have corn bread Tortillas we export 20% to 30% of the crops to different countries and we still have so much we can feed every man woman child and baby in America 2,000 pounds of corn a year and still have leftover corn