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Patrick ten Brink: “Returning our food systems to business as usual would be a historic mistake”

Patrick ten Brink: “Returning our food systems to business as usual would be a historic mistake”

red Wrong Way signage on road
As Covid-19 tightens its grip around the world, there is no doubt saving lives must remain the priority of the immediate response. It is our collective responsibility to do everything we can to stop the virus spreading further and to help all those affected.
Yet a fierce struggle is going on in parallel. And, as enormous decisions are taken, the ramifications for society could be huge.

Loss and degradation
Research suggests that the emergence of new human diseases is closely linked to loss and degradation of ecosystems and habitats, which in turn is driven by climate change, resource extraction, urban and agricultural expansion and pollution—all problems which are meant to be addressed through the European Green Deal. Inger Andersen, director of the United Nations Environment Programme, recently drew similar conclusions.

Food systems

One topic in particular lies at the heart of the environment-coronavirus nexus—our food systems. When it comes to the origins of the outbreak and its wider consequences for society, food is a central part of the equation.

Different paradigm

The coronavirus outbreak underscores why the EU must make the transition to ‘agroecological’ food systems, which are built on shorter supply chains. Agroecology is an essentially different paradigm from the way most food is currently produced in the EU. It is an approach that relies on, and maximises, ecological processes to support production systems. It is a way of thinking holistically about agronomy, ecology and biology—to produce food in harmony with nature, not against it.

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