PHM-Exch> Subject: Re: Article: India is Not a 'Vegetarian Country' Like the EAT-Lancet Report Would Have Us Believe

[Richa Chintan]

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Radha Holla <holla.radha at gmail. <holla.radha at gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 7 Dec 2019 17:08:11 +0530
Subject: Re: PHM-Exch> Article: India is Not a 'Vegetarian Country' Like
the EAT-Lancet Report Would Have Us Believe

Dear Kaaren

I do agree with you that a plant based diet may reduce the impact of
farming on the climate. However, not all plant based agriculture does so.
The cattle farms will be replaced by grain producing industrial farms with
the continued heavy use of chemicals. Secondly no where does the EAT Lance
report stress on the diversity-based farming systems of many indigenous and
poor communities across the world, which have little effect on
climate change, but rather mitigate it. This diversity based agriculture
includes not just mixed cropping, but also the use of animals for manure,
for energy and for food both as milk and meat. The animals and poultry
forage rather than being fed in feedlots. There are also studies that the
meat of foraging goats has lower effects on cholesterol than even chicken
or other white meat. One of the most damaging statements in the EAT Lancet
report is on achieving balance in use of nutrients - reduce the use of
chemicals in countries where industrial agriculture is practised, but
increase them where it is not. This seems to imply that diversity-based
farming should start using more chemicals. How is this going to help
climate change.

To me, what seems to be the thrust is to promote organic food only as a
niche product, which it is in most countries already, and further trade by
treating locally nutrient rich sources of food as unsuitable and needing to
be replaced by highly priced organic foods, including imported food. The
millets, which are a wonderful answer to climate change, are being
increasingly replaced in middle class families by foods such as quinoa,
which is a good food, but needs to be imported. Foods like amaranth leaves,
chenopodium leaves, beet leaves, colocasia leaves, etc. are hardly
available in the market except a few local markets, but spinach, broccoli,
orange carrots, brussels sprouts are all available. Why not pumpkin instead
of orange carrots in summer? The range of ingredients identified by the Eat
Lancet report does not take into consideration the nutritive value of local
products like coconut oil, sesame oil, peanut oil, but is only focusing on
improving usage of olive oil, which again needs to be imported.
Advertising with its beautiful colourful pics of imported fruits and
vegetables adds to this. There is no mention of the need to promote local
production for local consumption, to reduce the stress on land and water,
to consume what the season gives in abundance, to vary the diet to include
all foods - plants, grains, fruits (not just apples and pears), eggs, milk
and meat in a balance that does not negatively impact climate change while
at the same time, improves health and nutrition.


Radha Holla Bhar

email: holla.radha at gmail.com <holla.bhar at gmail.com>
Mob. No. +91 9810617188
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