Prabupada: They do not know how to eat on the whole. India knows how to eat. I have traveled all over the world, and this is my experience. Nobody knows how to eat. Only India.>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk – August 31, 1976, Delhi
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The WWF’s Living Planet Report highlights India’s food consumption patterns as the most sustainable among G20 nations. The report states that adopting India’s patterns globally would require less than one Earth by 2050 to support food production, as opposed to countries like Argentina, Australia, and the U.S. which would need significantly more resources. The report also praises India’s millet mission and advocates for promoting healthy alternative protein sources to reduce the land needed for food production.
## Findings of the WWF Living Planet Report on Food Consumption Patterns in G20 Countries
The WWF Living Planet Report identifies **India’s food consumption pattern as the most sustainable among G20 countries**. If the entire world adopted India’s food consumption patterns, less than one Earth (0.84) would be needed by 2050 to support food production. This falls within the planetary climate boundary for food, which is the maximum greenhouse gas emissions food systems can emit while staying within the 1.5° Celsius warming limit.
In contrast, the report highlights that adopting the food consumption patterns of other G20 countries would have significant negative environmental impacts. For instance:
* If the world adopted Argentina’s consumption patterns, the highest number of Earths (7.4) would be required to support food production.
* Australia and the USA follow with 6.8 and 5.5 Earths needed respectively.
The report underscores the need for dietary shifts towards more sustainable options. It specifically mentions:
* **India’s millet mission as a positive example**. The report praises the National Millet Campaign, which aims to increase the consumption of this climate-resilient grain.
* **The promotion of healthy alternative protein sources** such as legumes, nutri-cereals, plant-based meat alternatives, and algae.
The report argues that these changes in food consumption patterns could:
* Reduce land needed for food production.
* Free up grazing land for nature restoration and carbon sequestration.
## India’s Sustainable Food Consumption
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has identified **India as having the most sustainable food consumption pattern among the G20 nations**. This means that if the entire world adopted India’s food consumption habits, the planet would need less than one Earth (0.84) to support food production by 2050. This is significantly less than the 1 to 7 Earths that would be needed if everyone adopted the food consumption patterns of other major economies.
Here’s a comparison of how many Earths would be needed based on the consumption patterns of various G20 countries:
* **Argentina:** 7.4 Earths (worst)
* **Australia:** 6.8 Earths
* **USA:** 5.5 Earths
* **India:** 0.84 Earths (best)
The WWF report specifically highlights **India’s millet mission and the promotion of climate-resilient millets**, which contribute to the country’s sustainable food system. Millets, also known as nutri-cereals, are praised for their health benefits and resilience in the face of climate change.
The report also emphasizes the importance of **promoting alternative protein sources**, such as legumes, nutri-cereals, plant-based meat alternatives, and algae, to reduce the land required for food production and make food systems more sustainable. This shift towards more sustainable diets could free up grazing land for other purposes, like nature restoration and carbon sequestration.
Here are some actions and initiatives suggested in the WWF Living Planet Report to promote sustainable food consumption and reduce the environmental footprint of food production:
* **Promote the consumption of healthy alternative protein sources.** This includes legumes, nutri-cereals, plant-based meat alternatives, and algal species that are high in nutritional value.
* **Encourage people to eat more sustainable diets.** Shifting global food consumption patterns to be more sustainable could reduce the amount of land needed to produce food. This would free up grazing land for other purposes like nature restoration and carbon sequestration.
* **Support India’s ongoing efforts to promote climate-resilient millets (nutri-cereals).** The report highlights India’s National Millet Campaign, designed to increase the consumption of millets. Millets are good for health and highly resilient in the face of climate change.
The report states that if everyone in the world adopted the current food consumption patterns of the world’s major economies, the world would exceed the 1.5° Celsius climate (warming limit) target for food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 263 percent. This would also require the resources of one to seven Earths to support food production by 2050. However, if all countries adopted India’s current consumption patterns, the world would need less than one Earth (0.84) to support food production by 2050.
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=112907
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