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Earth Overshoot Day 2022: the unbalance in human-environment relationship is still on the rise

By Alessandro Galli and Marta Antonelli

On April 22nd, 1970 the first edition of what later became a key date in the worldwide environmental movement – Earth Day – was celebrated. The 1st edition of the Earth Day emerged out of the recognition of the many environmental problems of that time, and how they were expected to impact not only the health of our planet, but also human health. A few months after, in December 1971, another milestone event was hit, this time providing a quantitative measure to the qualitative understanding of the Earth’s environmental issues highlighted by the Earth Day. It was the Earth Overshoot Day.

Calculated by Global Footprint Network by relying on the National Footprint & Biocapacity Accounts (NFA) produced by the Footprint Data Foundation (https://www.fodafo.org/) and York University in Canada, Earth Overshoot Day marks each year the day in which humanity has used all the biological resources that Earth regenerates during that entire year. Over the past five decades, the human metabolism has kept exceeding the metabolism of the planet at an ever-faster rate, to the extent that humanity currently uses 74% more than what the planet’s ecosystems can regenerate—or “1.75 Earths.” In other words, planet Earth requires about 20 months to regenerate the resources humans consume and dispose the carbon dioxide waste humans emit in just 12 months. From Earth Overshoot Day until the end of the year, humanity operates on ecological deficit spending. This deficit spending is currently the largest since the world entered into ecological overshoot in the early 1970s and, over the past 50 years, annual deficits have cumulated in an ecological debt of 19-year worth of planetary regeneration. Earth Overshoot Day thus reminds us that the persistence of overshoot, now for over half a century, has led to huge declines in biodiversity, excess greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and heightened competition for food and energy. Pressures and symptoms are becoming more prominent with unusual heat waves, forest fires, droughts, and floods, leading to both energy and food insecurity.

Against a global ambition to “leave no one behind” as set by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and ensure everyone lives well within the limits of our planet, the stark reality we are daily confronted with is that of rather inequal societies – in both their capacity to access resources and secure well-being – operating beyond planetary limits.

If all people on the planet had the same lifestyle and consumption pattern of an average European citizen, Earth Overshoot Day would fall on May 2nd, with even earlier dates in many European countries.

Why is this the case? What possibilities do we have at hand to reverse this situation?

Before digging into the possible solutions, it is worth better understanding the issue at stake. The goods and services that are at the base of our human societies and economies are all supported by functioning and healthy ecosystems. By harvesting resources from the planet, and releasing wastes into it, all of us contribute to placing an impact on our Earth. This impact defines our Ecological Footprint and can be measured. From the way we eat, to how we drive. From our purchases of goods and services to the way in which we heat and cool our houses, our daily activities contribute to the Ecological Footprint we place on the planet’s ecosystems. So, what is the role of each of these daily activities?

Ecological Footprint results aligns with many other studies in indicating that food systems worldwide significantly contribute to climate change, causing about 34% of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as deforestation and biodiversity loss, water and air pollution and soil degradation, and increased risk of pathogen spillover, to name a few: in short, Food alone occupies nowadays 55% (i.e., over half), of the biocapacity of the Earth. Food systems use resources and emit greenhouse gases during each stage of their life cycle, from the production of the primary sources, processing and food refining, packaging, transportation, as well as the wholesale and retail distribution of the food we eat, and then dispose.

The dysfunctions of global food systems are multi-faceted.

Agricultural practices have become increasingly intensive to accommodate the demands of a growing population enduring a nutrition transition towards a Westernised energy-dense diet, thus greatly increasing global food supply. About half of the global agricultural land is used for pastoral or intensive agriculture, with detrimental environmental impacts that are often not accounted for, while not influencing choices about production methods to the extent that they should. Moreover, about 75% of the food available globally is generated from only 12 plants and five animal species.

Globalization has also led to the growth of long and fragmented supply chains, characterized by a high degree of complexity and many actors involved in the different stages. This often causes larger amounts of food to go lost or wasted – a phenomenon that accounts for one third of the food that is produced globally. Consumers that are increasingly disconnected from the source of their food can also be considered as a by-product of long supply chains, in a context where, at least in the European Union, policy makers advocate for shorter supply chains which reconnect the edges of the food supply chain, for the benefit of both consumers and producers. Economic inequality affects indeed the food system with unfair wages for workers in the different stages of the supply chain (from producers to retailers), and small scale farmers receiving a relatively low proportion of the wealth generated in the food system.

Unequal access to healthy diets jeopardises food security for many countries and communities. A healthy and nutritious diet is more expensive than a calorie sufficient diet. Approximately 3 billion people in the world (40% of global population) cannot afford a healthy diet, while about 2 billion people are overweight or obese. Globally dietary risk factors are estimated to cause 11 million deaths annually, while the impact of malnutrition costs the global economy 13.6 trillion US$ annually. It has recently been shown that life expectancy gains for a shift from typical Western to healthier diets could translate into more than a decade for young adults.

As the pressure on the planet due to food systems is increasing, measuring the environmental impacts due to our current food systems is becoming a priority to inform decision-making and food policy: transforming how we produce, source, distribute, consume, and discard food is a practical solution to reduce any country’s Ecological Footprint. Moreover, food connects us to ecological systems and can teach us about the world in which we live. If humanity delayed Earth Overshoot Day by 6 days every year, we would manage to safely bring the human enterprise back within the limit of one planet by 2050. Although ambitious, this change is at reach as indeed 4 key transformations in our global food systems would alone yield more than 4-year worth of Footprint reduction:

To conclude, we believe that the way we eat is an ultimate indication of the sustainability of our food systems, as well as a fundamental agent of change towards sustainability. The “fork” is the most useful sustainability tool we have as citizens as the dietary decisions we make today can caused a positive cascade effect throughout the whole food chain, impacting each step along the way. Current global food systems are detrimental to interconnected human and planet health but several wellbeing opportunities, as we have shown, are within reach.

Moreover, foods known to be associated with improved human health have among the lowest environmental impacts, while resource-intensive foods are often associated with the largest increases in disease risk. Shifting our food systems is thus a way to recognize and act upon the fruitful interdependencies among health, the environment and the economy. Ensuring a sustainable and fair food system that works for both producers and consumers is the purpose of Foodnected, a project funded by MAVA Foundation.

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Sustainable food production in Montenegro: interview with our partner CZIP

The Centre for Protection and Research of Birds or CZIP is one of Foodnected partners in Montenegro, along with the Dr. Martin Schneider Jacoby association MSJA. Both are invested in the protection of Ulcinj Salina in Southern Montenegro, a place of rich biodiversity and of great importance for the local communities around it.  Ulcinj is also one of Foodnected pilot sites.

Interview with Zoran Popović, expert associate for sustainable development at CZIP, about its involvement in Foodnected.

CZIP is a 21 years old environmental organization located in Podgorica, Montenegro. Its mission is the protection and research on birds and biodiversity. CZIP main focus has historically been on biodiversity conservation and nature education programs, both at a local level and through cross-border project with neighbouring countries (Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo). Besides these activities, CZIP also participated in eco-tourism development, promoting eco-friendly activities as a sustainable way to develop the region. Within Foodnected, CZIP goes a step forward in the link between biodiversity and human activities.

“We have been cooperating with small-scale producers locally already, for example by providing farmers nature-friendly equipment to protect their crops or beehives from predators. Foodnected is yet our first project with a direct focus on food production. The MAVA Foundation encouraged us to participate, and we thought Foodnected could represent a great opportunity for local communities and the whole country”, says Zoran Popovič.

Household with an electrical fence donated by CZIP for the protection of both beehives and bears. Photo: Igor Stojovič
Household with an electrical fence donated by CZIP for the protection of both beehives and bears. Photo: Igor Stojovič

 

There are indeed many challenges regarding food production in Montenegro. After WW2, Montenegro and Yugoslavia more generally have been vastly industrialized, neglecting hectares of fertile land and loosing thousands of small-scale producers. “Montenegro is today massively dependent on imports. Even though we still have farmers in Montenegro with local traditional knowledge, the market conditions are very harsh on them.”

The situation for small-scale farmers in this environment is critical, Zoran adds: “Most towns in Montenegro have a farmer’s market where local farmers can sell their products, but because of the competition with large suppliers they struggle to be competitive. Even though they offer quality, home grown, locally produced products. Struggle to compete in terms of seasonality also. On the other side, small-scale producers are not supported enough through governmental programs.”

Foodnected represents for CZIP an excellent opportunity to tackle the challenge of food production in Montenegro. Zoran states: “The idea behind Foodnected is to find ways to support local communities and the traditional ways of production for agriculture, fisheries, and pastoralism. We are currently in the first steps trying to see what is possible, to present the Foodnected values to Ulcinj local communities and to see how that echoes with their own concerns and projects, but we foresee a much longer period of work ahead of us.”

As in the other pilot sites, monitoring questionnaires will be distributed to local stakeholders (restaurants, food producers, fishers), and their analysis will lead to the draft of a local strategic plan with ideas on how to apply Foodnected principles. This plan will be a support for discussion with local stakeholders and authorities through workshops and study visits to small-scale producers in other countries.

Fisheries Producers’ Organisations for Small-scale Fishers: a vital step to take

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One of the problems facing the small-scale fishing sector is a lack of dedicated representation in the official bodies of the profession. This is particularly the case in France where small-scale fishers are struggling to unite to defend their interests. For Bertrand Cazalet, Secretary and Legal Adviser of the Syndicat professionnel des pêcheurs petits métiers d’Occitanie (SPMO – Professional Union of Small Scale Fishers of Occitania), Fisheries Producers’ Organisations (FPOs) provide a tool that European small-scale fishers would do well to invest to secure their future, and particularly so in the Mediterranean to better defend their traditional management methods based on polyvalence and strong territorial linkages. Interview.

What is a Fishery Producer Organisation? What role do FPOs play in the EU?

A Producer Organisation (PO) is a specific European tool created within the framework of common European policies, first the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), then the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). POs bring together producers (fishers, farmers, etc.) in a given area, often in cooperatives, but also as other organizational and legal structures.

The recognition of a PO is done at national level through a process overseen by the EU. FPOs are seen as key to achieving the objectives of the CFP, and the management of their production and marketing activities is delegated to them:

– Production: includes the general organisation of fishing activities, the allocation, management and monitoring of catch quotas and fishing effort, the management of licences, elaboration and implementation of internal rules, the control and sanction of FPO members;

– Marketing: includes the organisation of the first sale (in conjunction with fish auctions and port markets), the improvement and monitoring of traceability and the application of sanitary measures, and the implementation of initiatives to enhance the value of the products throughout the value chain.

Each PO must produce an annual or multi-annual production and marketing plan that determines all the elements necessary for the PO to achieve its objectives under the conditions defined by the European regulations.

Are Mediterranean small-scale fishers represented in the POs? Are there any POs specific to small-scale fishing in the region?

When we talk about small-scale fishing, we are talking about relatively small boats using passive or non-towed gears. In France small-scale fishing is synonymous with “petits métiers”, and in Spain “artes menores”. For the European Commission, small-scale fishing is carried out by fishing vessels of an overall length of less than 12 metres and not using towed fishing gear. 

There are a few examples of POs dedicated to small-scale fishing in Europe[1] but no specific PO for small-scale polyvalent fishing exists in the Mediterranean. In France, POs are either composed of industrial fisheries only or are mixed POs with different fleet segments represented. However, even the latter were originally created and controlled by larger fishing companies. In both cases it is very difficult for small-scale fishers to have their interests recognised and defended. In the Mediterranean more than 80% of small-scale fishers do not belong to POs. This is due to historical reasons and to the Mediterranean fisheries management system, where fishing access is not based primarily on licensing and quotas.

And what is the situation outside the POs in the Mediterranean today? 

Small-scale fishers in the Mediterranean are mainly individual skippers whose activities are seasonally polyvalent and carried out close to shore. With 80% of them not associated into POs, they are undermined by 1) the weakening of the Prud’homies (traditional community-based management structures specific to the French Mediterranean), some of which no longer function at all; 2) the difficulties faced by some Fisheries Committees, particularly at departmental level, which are struggling to maintain their capacity to represent and act for their members; 3) the reduction in the means available to the State and its administration, which is tending to increasingly delegate the management, monitoring and control of fishing activities to POs.

Similarly, there is increasing political and professional pressure on fishers outside POs to join existing POs: they are informed that they will have fewer rights, that they will lose their track records, their licences, that they will not be entitled to European funds. This is absolutely false from a purely legal point of view because there can be no discrimination in the rules of access to fishery resources and financial support. The French State also recognises that it needs to rebalance the system of fishing rights that is very largely favourable to POs, but which, given that fisheries resources are a public good, is questionable from an equity perspective[2].

The organisation “Golion” has initiated a process to be recognised as a PO: why? 

Golion has been operating officially on behalf of a group of small-scale Mediterranean fishers (“petits métiers”) for 10 years, with a structure (GIE) recognised by ministerial decree to manage species subject to quota (bluefin tuna and swordfish). The structure is associated with a professional union but it is limited in its scope (bluefin tuna and swordfish), in its powers to manage fishing rights (licences), and in its duration (because its structure must be renewed every three years).

To get out of this legal insecurity and to act across all the small-scale fisheries, we decided to initiate a process to recognise the association Golion as a PO. Launched in 2014, Golion is the owner of a group “own-label” under which the products of its members are marketed. As Golion’s structure includes an economic dimension, it meets the necessary pre-conditions to launch a PO process, a process that was initiated without any form of public or private financial support.

What do you expect from getting Golion recognised as a PO?

The advantage of being recognised as a PO is first of all institutional, as it allows you to organise yourself better, to be better represented and supported (administratively, technically and financially) and therefore, in the end, to better defend your rights. Faced with the growing demands of the CFP and its management rules, we, as POs, would have a structure that would give us official weight as well as the right to be heard by the authorities and the administration. It is also a way to assure our organisation’s future as an officially approved organisation.

Small-scale fishing is going to face increasing pressures on its fishing areas, including due to the conditions imposed by the Western Mediterranean (West Med) plan and the implications for trawlers,[3] resulting notably in a transfer of fishing effort towards the coast. European regulations as a whole will continue to be tightened and the most fragile fleet segments will be the first to disappear. The “petits métiers” will not be able to overcome the constraints and costs imposed by monitoring, control and surveillance rules, unless they manage to unite. In the French Mediterranean, there are still 1,000 small-scale vessels outside POs, a fact that fully justifies the recognition of a dedicated small-scale fishing PO. Such an initiative is also in line with France’s commitments to the regional fisheries body – the GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) – and the Regional Plan of Action for Small Scale Fisheries (RPOA SSF) the GFCM adopted in 2018.

What other benefits could the creation of a small-scale PO have for the fishers themselves and for fishing in general?

Within the PO, we want to defend our Mediterranean management methods, which adopt an approach not by species but by territory, the use of polyvalent techniques and seasonal diversity. In this type of management, the rules are established according to the context, the areas and the local practices. These are in fact the management principles of the Prud’homies, age-old bodies that are not recognised either at state or European level. These bodies could be revitalised and re-legitimised through being associated in a small-scale fisheries PO.[4]

Small-scale polyvalent fishing is generally a headache for managers and scientists, who find it easier to model a specialised, monospecific system of catch quotas or effort per boat. We are often criticised for a lack of monitoring of small-scale fishing effort: with a dedicated small-scale PO, we could document fishing operations, process catch, effort and commercial data, support the fishers and better integrate them into the monitoring systems. Only a dedicated small-scale PO would be able to do this, as the existing POs in the Mediterranean could not offer the thousand or so non-PO associated vessels such a framework that is geared solely towards the great diversity of the practices and characteristics of small-scale fishing.

What is the procedure for creating a PO? Are there any particular conditions to be met? 

You need to have an already established economic structure of producers, such as our economic interest grouping (GIE), and to prove its representativity, particularly in terms of the volumes and value of catches, or in terms of the number of vessels. Our application is based mainly on the criteria of the number of vessels (85% of small vessels in the Mediterranean) and on the value of production rather than on volumes produced. We have put together an application that meets the requirements of the French state for the recognition of POs. Ours is more than 70 pages long and includes the statutes, the internal regulations, the presentation pack, the production and marketing plan, the data of all the fishers (licences, catches), etc. It must then be submitted to the DIRM (Mediterranean Regional Authorities), which is the branch of the French administration that examines applications at the Mediterranean level. It then formulates an opinion, which it sends to the DPMA (Department of Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture), the national level administration on fisheries and maritime affairs, which takes the final decision.

And have you managed to mobilise the fishers around the need to create a small-scale fishing organisation?

This is the main difficulty we face. We have only our very limited means to achieve our goal and no form of public aid. As mentioned above, our representativity will not be evaluated on the volume of catches because we have few landings and quotas, but on the number of boats. What makes us special is that we represent many boats in one area, the French Mediterranean. In our initial file submitted to the DIRM, we have 112 boats, which would make us the leading French Mediterranean PO in terms of the number of small-scale vessels. But this is not enough, we need to reach 150 vessels to fully meet the recognition criteria. We therefore need to attract new members and to do this we need to mobilise people in the ports, in the Prud’homies, etc. Our lack of means gives us a long-term disadvantage.

Are you confident about the future?

I’m fairly confident because we meet the criteria, and I don’t see any legal or technical obstacles to our application. I also think that the administration has understood that there is a professional interest in structuring the “petits métiers” in a PO. There are going to be fewer and fewer resources and more and more constraints, so anything that can encourage the autonomy and capacity of the fishers is a good strategy to have with the administration. Finally, I am hopeful that the professional representatives will in turn become aware of the basic need to structure the “petits métiers” into POs. With the forthcoming elections in the Fisheries Committees (which also represent the “petits métiers”), we could garner a more favourable interest for our project and establish some concrete collaborations to enable us to quickly finalise this vital process for the “petits métiers”. 

To find out more, click here:

Report

Cazalet, B and O’Riordan, B. 2020. ” The Pros and Cons of Creating Producer Organisations (PO) for Mediterranean Small-Scale Fishers” Low Impact Fishers of Europe. 41 pages.

https://lifeplatform.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/LIFE-Producer-Organisations-PO-Guidelines-EN.pdf

[1] The “Organizacion de Productores Artesanales de la Lonja de Conil” in CONIL de la Frontera in Andalusia (Spain), which brings together around 50 artisanal fishing boats using passive gears (“artes menores”); FSK (Low Impact Inshore Fishing PO), one of LIFE’s members in Denmark, a PO which brings together 45 vessels belonging to a number of inshore fishing associations; and the PO Estuaire in France, which is a single-species PO and is solely dedicated to managing the elver (juvenile eel) fishery activity. See in: Cazalet, B and O’Riordan, B. 2020. ” The Pros and Cons of Creating Producer Organisations (PO) for Mediterranean Small-Scale Fishers” Low Impact Fishers of Europe. 41 pages

[2] The new government action plan presented in March 2022, although very general, plans to “encourage technical support for small businesses by reforming the rules for distributing quotas”, including “increased attention to the production outside POs”. https://mer.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2022-03/Plan-action-peche-durable_DP.pdf

[3] European management plan within the CFP which envisages a 40% reduction in fishing effort over five years (2021-2025) in a defined area of the Western Mediterranean.

[4] Prud’homies date back to the Middle Ages, they have been listed as part of France’s intangible heritage since 2021 and a process of classification as part of UNESCO’s intangible heritage is underway.d

‘The path to fairer and more sustainable food systems starts with the relationship between consumers and producers.’

Yolda is a nature conservation organization established in 2015. From the beginning, Yolda’s focus has been on traditional cultural practices and production systems that benefit both biodiversity conservation and climate crisis mitigation and adaptation. Engin Yılmaz, Yolda’s executive director, tells us more about the importance of the traditional ecological knowledge and the value of relationships between consumers and producers.

Mobile pastoralism

Working at an international level, Yolda is collaborating with  mobile pastoralist communities in different regions to understand and disseminate the benefits of the practice to biodiversity and climate action. The lands of one of these communities called Sarikeçili has recently joined the Foodnected project as a pilot site. They are traveling around a geographical area of 300 km across Turkey, wintering in the pastures of southern shores and summering in the highlands of Taurus Mountains.

‘Pastoralism, explains Engin, is a form of animal husbandry, of raising livestock (mostly herbivores species) and, most importantly, it is entirely different in essence to intensive livestock production systems. We use the word mobile to encompass the many ways the people move with the livestock, as opposed to sedentary pastoralism. Thus, mobile pastoralism refers to the many ways when people move through landscapes with livestock.’

The definition of mobile pastoralism can vary as it greatly depends on the topography of the area along which these communities travel, the climate, the socio-economic context, etc. Yet in all scenarios, this traditional production system holds benefits for biodiversity conservation and climate crisis mitigation and adaptation efforts.

‘Through their mobility, these nomadic communities ensure the connectivity between different habitats and, therefore, support other species regarding functional and structural connectivity. Let’s take the role they play in seed dispersal: The animals eat plants, they carry the seeds of these plants via their coats, fleeces, hooves and droppings. In a scientific study conducted in Spain, it was proven that a herd of 1000 transhumant sheep carries almost 200 millions ingested seeds over 1,500 km. On top of that, the carbon footprint of these communities is very low, especially because of their mobility. They use very low levels of fuel. Their life is adapted to the climate. When they leave a site, they allow the vegetation to regenerate. And very importantly, they play a role in preserving the cultural heritage.’

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

The preservation of traditional knowledge is one of the core values of the Foodnected and it encompasses here various interactions between the communities and nature, as well as the interactions within the community itself. This, for instance, includes herd management, animal and human well-being, knowledge of fauna and flora, knowledge transmission, etc.

To illustrate the importance of this knowledge, Engin takes the example of the interactions between the communities and wolves. ‘In the French Pyrenees, there were no wolves left. So, the government took measures to reintroduce wolves in the mountains. This created a conflict between transhumance communities there and the French government. One of the important aspects of this conflict was that the communities were no longer holding as much traditional ecological knowledge as in the past in terms of confronting and mitigating the conflicts against these predators, resulting in the experience being very traumatic for them. In Turkey, there are 7000 wolves and none of these are seen as traumatic by the nomadic communities, because they have been living like this for centuries. They use particular tools against it, like dogs. They also have dogs in the French Pyrenees, but the knowledge in Turkey on how to pick the right breed, do the right training, manage the dog pack and how many dogs should be in a pack is still very rich. All of this of course will vary depending on the region and the environment. So, we believe that this kind of knowledge needs to be kept. These communities have been living in uncertainty for centuries and their daily lives are adapted to respond to changes. There is also  wisdom in that knowledge that can help develop responses to crises such as a pandemic.’

The relationship between producers and consumers

Since its foundation, Yolda, just like Foodnected, has been trying to reduce the distance between producers and consumers. ‘In our case, shortening the value chains doesn’t mean selling and buying locally, since the communities are moving long distances. It means trying to avoid any other actors along the chain and make consumers and communities share the same vision of producing and consuming food.’ 

Yolda sees humans as an essential part of the ecosystem and the relationship between consumers and producers as crucial in order to achieve more sustainable and fairer food systems. ‘We can’t rely on a dichotomy between nature and culture. Nature provides benefits for culture, but culture also can provide benefits for nature. And, that’s what we’re expecting of consumers: to reach this same way of thinking. This will help us in advocating a proper legal framework to support sustainable producers instead of industrial production systems, and, then, we can have an impact at regional, national, and global levels. This has to start with the relationship between consumers and producers.’

An alternative to industrial food systems that honors scale and the rhythm of the ecosystem via shorter supply chains.

Similar to the Foodnected project, Local Catch is a North American network of fishing families/businesses/communities, researchers, non-profit organizations, technical assistance providers, and decision-makers. We had the great opportunity to speak with Jordan Richardson – the network coordinator and Brett Tolley – the national programme coordinator for the Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance (Nama), which provides backbone support to Local Catch.

Local Catch was founded at a time where different seafood networks were forming as an alternative to industrial fishing models. 

It all started around 2009, Brett Tolley tells us, when small-scale fishers in Maine realized that the current sea food supply chain was forcing them into scenarios where they either had to catch a really high volume in order to make a decent living, which they knew was not sustainable, or not be able to make a business. They decided to unite in order to get a better price and thus reduce the pressure on the species they were catching, and it was a success! At the same time, the exact same thing was happening in North Carolina, in British Columbia and in Massachusetts. The global nature of the supply chain was getting so extreme that selling prices were getting lower and lower and reached a tipping point. In that moment, these groups realized that solidarity and sharing best practices with one another was key to be more in control of their catch. I also think the success of the whole initiative was due to the fact that it wasn’t driven by the wish to make money, but by the fishers’ livelihoods.

The Local Catch network, just like Foodnected, is guided by a number of core values thanks to which the network maintains trust among its members but also with consumers. 

The values are the lifeblood of the network, Jordan Richardson insists, it couldn’t work without very clear and meaningful core values because they allow accountability and trust. For a network to thrive, there must be trust. Feeling like you are connecting with other members who also adhere to these core values is what fosters collaboration, teamwork and engagement within the network.

Collaboration and connection with like minded people is the strength of the network. Jordan explains : One of the biggest perks of being part of a structure like this is to have this network of seafood producers, businesses, technical assistance providers, researchers and being able to connect directly with them. We organize workshops and we have an internal communication tool that our members can use when they have a business question, when they’re looking for somebody that’s purchasing a certain type of product or even just to discuss the core values (for instance: what does ‘local’ mean?). It’s a great way for our members to connect with people who understand what they are going through and an opportunity to learn from one another. The network is also them giving visibility, for instance we have a seafood finder that helps consumers find fishers who directly sell their catch. 

Initiatives like Foodnected and Local Catch promote fairer and more sustainable food systems that work for people, but also for nature. Industrial food systems and supply chains are messing with the environment everywhere, says Brett. Our ecological footprint is just outrageous. What we’re building here is an alternative that honors scale and the rhythm of the ecosystem with shorter supply chains. 

He also stresses the importance of support coming from consumers : It’s about moral support. It is so important for people who fish. Part of what industrial fishing does is make the fisher invisible, it takes a catch and exports it outside of the country, so that the people living here don’t know what kind of fish swims in their own waters. It doesn’t mean they don’t care, it’s just that they don’t know what fishers are catching. When there’s a development coming to town threatening the livelihoods of fishers, they don’t get local support because people don’t know. So there is responsibility for consumers to get to know these things : who are the fishers, what do they catch, how do they do it? 

For consumers it’s really important to understand the practices and the values that businesses are embodying, Jordan adds, and for them to know what values they are looking for when they are buying food and if these values align. The ability for our members to be transparent about where the fish is coming from is crucial for consumers to get a better understanding. It really comes down to trying to have the most direct connection possible – for instance being able to ask questions at the market or getting an explanation about where the fish was caught if it is bought online.

More info about Local Catch : https://localcatch.org/

More info about Nama : https://www.namanet.org/

Professional artisanal fishing is the only way to guarantee the sustainability of resources and the future of the sector

@PeixNostrum
@PeixNostrum

Francisco Cardona Ramón (also known as Xico) is the secretary of the Fishermen’s Cofradia  of Ibiza , in the Balearic Islands of Spain, a member of the Foodnected Community of Practice. He works in a mostly artisanal fishery on the island, which only supplies the local market. We had the great pleasure of interviewing him and discussing his passion for this profession, the importance of local commerce and the role of consumers in sustainability. 

‘I consider artisanal fishing to be environmentally sustainable – Francisco tells us – and this is demonstrated by the good state of the sea bed. I believe that the measures needed to guarantee the continuity of this sustainability are fairly minimal: diversification, control of fishing hours, improvement in the classification of the species and continuous development of marine reserves.’

The constitution and establishment of marine reserves gave a huge boost to the protection of the species that Francisco and other fishermen target. Thanks to the self-regulation imposed by the fishers themselves (such as limiting the number and types of fishing gear they use), pressures on marine environments and fishing effort were reduced in these areas, thus allowing fish to breed, ensuring the sustainability of these species and environmental conservation.

Francisco continues to stress the importance of consumer engagement in securing continuity of small-scale low impact fishing activities. 

‘Consumers and their commitment to the sustainability of the local community is the cornerstone and the most important factor in ensuring fair and sustainable food systems. For a local community to function, it is necessary to ensure that local agriculture, fisheries and trade are alive and resilient, that there is a circular economy, and that the consumer is committed as well.’

Because all of us eat, we all share the responsibility for the transition towards sustainability: farmers, fishers, processors, policy makers, and consumers can all influence the food system through the decisions they make. By buying locally, people can nurture businesses in their communities, which use local resources sustainably, employ local workers at decent wages and give back to the community. That means the community is more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports, allowing it to take back control of its resources.

‘Investment and commitment to small-scale local commerce is always beneficial for the people, because it supports the development of the local community itself. Globalization is all very well, but we should never forget that in the face of a natural disaster, may it be a war or a pandemic such as the one we are currently experiencing, the only system that will guarantee our food supply will be the primary sector and local trade. If we allow the local commercial fabric to disappear, the consequences in times of crisis could be fatal.’

Despite the challenges he is facing, Francisco is hopeful about the future of the artisanal fishing sector.

‘We are currently facing the problem of a lack of generational renewal. Young people aren’t interested in being fishers anymore, and that’s partly due to the fact that it isn’t a very profitable profession. But I think that after years of decline in the sector, of adjustments, restrictions and loss of identity, in a few years it will find a point of equilibrium where our work and its essential contribution to society will be valued more highly. Society and factors such as a better economic profitability and a greater attractiveness of the profession (linked to working  outdoors, in contact with nature, with flexible hours , etc.) will encourage new generations to choose this occupation. This will allow the sector to grow again, but this time in a more organised and sustainable way.’

Francisco and other fishers in the Balearic region are actively working on solutions to connect with consumers. They are now part of Foodnected and since 2008, they also have been developing what he calls ‘their star project’, their own quality brand for the most economically valuable species: the Peix Nostrum label.  The Peix Nostrum label guarantees that the fish has been caught by a vessel from the professional fishing fleet of the island of Ibiza, with no more than four hours between the time it was captured and the time it arrived at the market. It also guarantees that it has been handled, refrigerated and conserved correctly, with the highest level of hygiene.

‘In addition to helping the consumer to differentiate the product, the aim of the label is to achieve a better profitability for the fisherman through a greater demand for the local product and an increase in the price of the product.’

Shortening the distance between consumers and producers : that is exactly what the Foodnected project intends to do. The Foodnected Community of Practice will facilitate the emergence of short-chain food systems that work for nature and people – both for consumers and for the small-scale producers who depend on them for their livelihood.

Earth Overshoot Day: 100 days of possibility to Move the Date

July 29, 2021 was Earth Overshoot Day. This marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate that same year. For ensuring a thriving future for our societies, we have to move that date and to this there isn’t one-single magical solution but rather a mosaic of solutions widely implemented, altogether.

Except for the inverted trend seen last year, when Earth Overshoot Day fell on August 22nd and mainly by disasters (due to COVID-19), the Earth Overshoot Day has come earlier and earlier every year, approximately about a month earlier every decade since its first manifestation in 1970s. This is indicative of a growing human demand (for plant-based food and fiber products, livestock and fish products, timber and other forest products, space for urban infrastructure, and forest to absorb its carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels) on the planet’s resources, which is now equivalent to about 1.7 planets worth of resources and ecological services.

Countless solutions exist and this need for many different answers is well represented by the ‘100 days of possibility’ campaign, promoted by Global Footprint Network, offering a solution a day from July 29 to the beginning of the COP26. The idea was to highlight alternatives to the current ways of operating our societies in the days leading up to what was going to be the most important event this year. Many of the solutions collected for the campaign are proof that alternatives are available and could be scaled-up if the political willingness to do so was present. Since the political powers seem to underestimate the climate crisis, it is more important than ever to bring such projects up and give them visibility to as many people as possible.

The way we produce and consume food has a great impact on the environment and a key role in this fight.

As our recent past has shown, about 50% of such human demand on the planet’s resources is due to our food systems, meaning the way in which we produce, transport, distribute, consume and, unfortunately, waste food. Shifting our approach to more sustainable food systems would thus help move the date on which us humans surpass what global resources can sustain in a single year. Here again, there are different ways this can be achieved, such as eating locally, cultivating in a sustainable way (e.g., via agroforestry practices) or reducing food waste.

This is exactly what the Foodnected project aims to achieve.

The short-chain, fair and sustainable food systems we are realizing via the Foodnected Community of Practice is one of the solutions. Practicing an ethical code of environmental and social values, utilizing low-impact production systems, and reconnecting producers and consumers (by reducing the distance between them) helps disrupt the prevailing food market mechanisms. And indeed, a Community of Practices (CoP) connects small-scale food producers and consumers under shared values to facilitate the development of short-chain and sustainable food systems that work for nature and people, starting in the Mediterranean region.

The livestock sector is certainly one of the most important given its contribution to GHGs emissions as well as land and water use, worldwide. It is thus an obvious place to start.

On October 29, the solution was the promotion of beef production methods that focus on integrating cattle with a local mixed landscape, like the smallholder farms of Menorca’s Custòdia Agrària programme, part of the Foodnected programme. These farms take advantage of the heterogeneous landscape (combining arable land with areas of wild vegetation) for agricultural production. The cattle feed partly on wild pasture and walk among wooded areas. This allows for significant amounts of carbon dioxide to be captured. In addition, the type of management practiced does not exhaust biodiversity, but promotes it.

The Ecological Footprint is a tool used to measure how much nature we have, and how much nature we use. Food consumption across the globe contributes to about 26% of humanity’s Ecological Footprint. As they work with the local environment and apply beneficial management practices, eating fair and local meat produced in the farms of Custòdia Agrària would help reduce the Footprint of consuming beef by up to 64% compared to beef conventionally produced. Applied worldwide, the production methods of Custòdia Agrària would move the date of Earth Overshoot Day by 5 days.

Such practices foster local development in their territories with new models of governance that involve and hold all local stakeholders accountable with a community-based and participative approach. This encourages small-scale producers to become actors of change for the necessary transition to sustainable and fair food systems. Creativity and networking promote knowledge sharing, collective understanding, and mentorship needed to build a better future, leading to innovation, creativity and social entrepreneurship.

We can all do something to combat climate change and resource overuse, and ultimately postpone Earth Overshoot Day. We can start with becoming aware of our own environmental impact. Want to measure yours here?

The Foodnected community of practice presented its core values to build new food systems

The Foodnected project starts sharing its approach to local, fair and sustainable food systems.

A joint project by Slow Food, Global Footprint Network, Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE) and GOB Menorca, supported by the MAVA Foundation, Foodnected introduced its foundational structure: the Foodnected Community of Practice (CoP), an organized group of small producers, consumers, and other key players of the food system, with shared views on sustainability.

Italy, June 30th, 2021.

During the webinar Foodnected: the importance of the community of practice, organized on June 30 during the 2021 Slow Food international event Slow Fish, the Foodnected Community of Practice (CoP) was introduced through the presentation of its core values and scope, governance and functioning structure. The discussion focused on social relationships and structures that allow people to improve skills and learn from each other’s experiences.

The CoP is comprised of a diverse and comprehensive set of stakeholders (and their networks), including consumers, in short value chains. Its purpose is to generate and share experiences and best practices, to seek workable solutions to common challenges, and to build synergies that facilitate the transition towards fair and sustainable food systems with a low Ecological Footprint, starting in the Mediterranean region.

In this context, the CoP members agree that sustainability entails recognizing the close interdependence of different aspects of food production and consumption: economic, environmental and socio-cultural. Consequently, each goal must be set and pursued as part of a strategy that takes all the other dimensions into account.

All co-producers

“That our lifestyles are no longer sustainable is now an established fact. Because all of us eat, we all share the responsibility to move towards sustainability: farmers, fishers, processors, policy makers, and members of the public can all influence the food system through the decisions they make. But this sense of co-responsibility is lacking in current food systems. This is partly due to the fact that policies are designed through a top-down approach. Additionally, the system is really fragmented. Current food systems tend to separate farmers from fishers, from cheesemakers, etc. when the reality is that all of them are interconnected. The holistic view is missing,” said Paula Barbeito, Foodnected Coordinator at Slow Food.

In order to identify the core values of the CoP, the Foodnected team conducted a search for pertinent examples of initiatives supporting the goal of enhancing short-chain food systems that work for both people and the planet.

After reviewing over 100 projects from 15 different countries and conducting workshops with stakeholders, the Foodnected definition of fair and sustainable food systems was built around five pillars and ten core values.

These systems must ensure:

• access to food of high nutritional quality

• fair economic returns for small-scale producers

• local development and recognition of women and younger generations

• respect of the seasonality and the interconnectivity of ecosystems

• preservation of local traditional knowledge.

In addition to shaping our culture, food is a fundamental aspect of nutritional security and represents an important source of income and employment, supporting livelihoods in many regions. However, factors such as the intensification of production, the concentration of the food sector in fewer hands, or the marketing and distribution of a reduced number of varieties, have led to poor resource management and environmentally damaging production methods. All these aspects affect our health and the health of ecosystems and, at the same time, lead to the loss of traditional knowledge and community resilience. Future food systems must incorporate social relations of production, trade and consumption patterns that provide healthy diets and ultimately determine fair and sustainable practices. Foodnected communities and people thus commit themselves to contributing to change the food system following these core values:

• Food sovereignty, quality and health

• Fair price through short supply chains

• Ensuring justice and equity

• Fair and inclusive governance

• Increased transparency and accountability

• Job creation and local development

• Agroecology and low impact fishing

• Honoring nature

• Empowerment, creativity and collaboration

• Scientific support to traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)

In the coming months, building on core values and constructive discussions with stakeholders, the project will provide guidelines to help the producers implement them in the pilot sites (Menorca, Ibiza and Sicily) and track progress. The project will also offer greater visibility to the initiatives of its members, support collaboration among professionals, and scale-up experiences among short supply chain actors to ease transfer of knowledge among professionals.

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