Sustainable Agriculture and Food Justice
The industrialization of agriculture has changed how we grow food. Not only are small, family farms having difficulty competing with large-scale industrial operations, but the latter’s increasing use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, simplification of crops and overuse of antibiotics are problematic. Set against the backdrop of climate change, which brings more droughts, wildfires, floods and other changes to agricultural conditions, while increasing populations and development create a growing demand for food, the current model of agriculture and food production is unsustainable.
Viewed through an environmental justice lens, these problems raises questions about food security, food poverty and rural livelihoods, among others. In addition to evolving an understanding of sustainable agriculture through the lens of environmental justice, this case study will address issues of intra-generational, inter-generational, and inter-species justice in order to propose the laws and policies required for a sustainable food system in Canada.
Image source: Slow Food Sonoma Valley, <http://www.slowfoodsv.com/what-is-sustainable-agriculture/>.