Apples, not grown locally but are readily sold in this supermarket. No sign of mangoes, sapodillas or paw paw. This photo shows the oppression of local farmers and local produce on the local markets. This photo highlights the abandonment of farmer from his profession due to his/her inability to make any profit due to the unfair competition with foreign produce. This photo points to the one of the first initiatives that urbanites and relevant stakeholders must do in order to promote sustainability in urban areas through food consumption
Our increased food demand, high imports and the increased
preference towards fast foods are leading Trinidad on the road to
unsustainability, as the majority of foods that we consume are not produced
within the country. This is a cause for a deeper look by urban planners, the
government and other stakeholders as sustainability is often linked to the
effects of the environment on the city or the effects of the city on the
environment. However, there is little concern about the effects of urban
processes and activities on sustainability (Hall and Barrett 2012).
Over the course of this blog we have looked at how our changes
in food consumption as a result of urbanization have affected our lives and
also our near and far environs. Therefore, we see that our urban lifestyles do
not just affect us as individuals, but also the lives of other people. Thus,
urbanization and food consumption need to be connected in a sustainable manner.
This allows for use of resources in such a way that it meets current needs
without diminishing the benefits of future generations (Hall and Barrett 2012).
The need for sustainability is vital as
further widens the socio-economic gap between urban dwellers. This will lead an increase in the
vulnerability of the urban poor to food security. In addition it allows for the
negative effects in food systems which heavily influence rural persons. It also
intensifies the trends in our urban diets as described in this blog. What would
be the consequences it we continue on such a path? Or a more relevant question
would be what can be done to promote urban sustainability through food?
However, sustainability is difficult to achieve as it is not
an absolute term. In my opinion, here in Trinidad one of the main things that
we can do to curb our urban diets in order to promote sustainability is through
the use of more local foods. Now, this cannot be simply done in isolation,
there must be government interventions to ensure that local producers obtain advantages
within the local markets.
References
Hall, Tim and Heather Barrett. 2012. Urban Geography. USA: Routledge.
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