We're facing a global issue right now that many, particularly large corporations who are involved or profit from it, are choosing to ignore. Meanwhile, the general public remains largely in the dark. Many of those who do know about it choose to turn a blind eye, feeling that they as an individual are powerless to fight it. The problem we're talking about is the current global food supply chain.
Summing it up in one sentence like that feels like a bit of an oversimplification, as there are so many other issues that are at play within it. Deforestation, chemical-filled dinner tables, forest fires, loss of endangered species, cultural subjugation and elimination, and the progression of climate change are all results of a severely broken system that emphasizes profits before both people and the planet. Brazilian actress Alice Braga has recently partnered with Greenpeace to inform the public about this situation in their 3 part video series called Countdown to Destruction. As she explains, business as normal will do irreparable harm to us all if we don't stand up and take action.
We have a very symbiotic relationship with trees and other plants. They take in the carbon dioxide that we exhale, while putting out oxygen which we in turn inhale. However, we're slowly strangling ourselves a little bit more every day. How? By eating meat-heavy diets, which support large-scale corporate agriculture supply chains. An astronomical amount of space is taken up to feed and raise livestock, as well as establish processing facilities before meat can reach the wholesalers. As you'll see in the video linked to above, 26% of the land on our planet is currently being employed for grazing and growing animal feed. More land is dedicated to raising and feeding livestock to pad corporate bottom lines than to feeding humans. In fact, every 5 seconds an area the size of a soccer field is destroyed to make way for agricultural commodities.
Here we are destroying more and more of our precious land to create more food when every year we are throwing away 1.3 billion tons food.
The farming, trading, and shipping is done on such a large scale that when asked where their supplies actually come from, many corporate leaders have no answer.
This isn't just limited to animals though. Big agriculture, performed for corporate gains, also oversees a vast majority of the world's fruit, grain, and vegetable supply. Genetically modified produce and foods heavily treated with pesticides reign supreme in our grocery stores and on our tables. Organically grown food, which was once the norm, is now seen as a luxury item. We're paying substantially more to eat items that have received far less doctoring up to stay fresh. It's pretty backward when you stop and think about it. When you think about it longer, "backward" begins to seem like more and more of an understatement. Delusional sounds like a better choice of words.
Did you know that one of the most destructively produced crops is the soya bean?
In fact, more than 90% of it is used to feed livestock, which means it is being planted more and more, leading to even more severe degrees of mass deforestation. At the same time, these crops and the meat from animals fed on this land is sold to the global marketplace at very low prices. This puts small, locally-based farmers at a point where they can't make enough money to survive. In addition to losing their land, they're losing their way of life. In many corners of the globe, there are few options to turn to once this happens, as small scale and locally distributed agriculture is the only economy and way of living that entire cultures have ever known. Meanwhile, investors eager to expand their bank accounts bet on Soya futures, further encouraging the cycle to continue.
We've reached a point where industrial greenhouse gasses (for which the food supply chain is not the sole culprit, but still a very large player) have exceeded those of all airplanes, cars, trains, ships, and buses put together. As this spirals further out of control, we can depend on seeing the effects of climate change reach terrifyingly large proportions. We'll see more forest fires, extinction of species, loss of entire cultures and ethnic groups, more pronounced economic disparity, and ultimately, indescribable destruction and suffering for the entire planet and those who inhabit it. You live here, right? Are you waking the fork up yet?
There are many things we can do to fight this, and there are a few you can do right now. We all have the power to make a change. Switching to diets with less meat, patronizing local agriculture sources, avoiding the convenience of buying GMO foods, and refusing to purchase from the kingpins of big corporate agriculture will all make their mark. When the profits start to decline, the executives will have no choice but to take action.
Still, this isn't the only way that we can drive change for the better. When we decided to start a new project, we knew we wanted to create a business with purpose, one that gives back to the earth and people, and raises awareness to causes that are important to us. With all these in mind, Amazonian SkinFood was born. We sell natural, plant based skincare products made from ethically sourced ingredients from the Amazon Rainforest that help preserve the forest and its local indigenous peoples.
We're part of a network which focuses on empowering the people of the Amazon with sustainable business, with a concentration on priority conservation areas. It is our dream to do much more than just pull in a profit from this business.
Over the last few years we have been traveling and learning about new ways of living. We have been focused on learning more about off-grid communities, eco-villages, gardening, permaculture, plant medicine, creative/resource based economies and other thoughtful and sustainable ways of living more in harmony with nature and with ourselves. It is because of these experiences that our dream project started to take form.
Geoship's Bioceramic Dome Homes & regenerative agriculture like Syntropic farming and Permaculture design principles, that work with nature instead of against it.
This community we dream of will thrive on forms of energy that do not harm the planet, methods of farming that keep food local and healthy, a place for travelers, families, and the local community to share knowledge, gain knowledge, and live sustainably with the land.
We hope that we can plant seeds in and inspire enough people to live more sustainably and eventually create a network of conscious living communities around the globe. We believe in the power of the people, and the abundance that mother nature provides. A new dream of society awaits.
We're doing all we can to make this dream a reality and will not stop until we meet that goal. Regardless, we and the other members of our network need strength in numbers. If what we've written in this article has piqued your interest, we'd love to hear back from you. Gaining friends who wish to support our goals and be a part of healing our planet is what we need now more than ever. Nothing truly worth having is ever easy to obtain. It's time to roll up our sleeves, join forces, and get to work.
Much LOVE & many blessings to all of you on your life's journey.
Here some ways to support our mission & dream:
- Connect & follow us on Instagram @amazonianskinfood
- Purchase our products
- Share this article with your friends :)