#Seed017: Food Systems & Gratitude
A two-part series on why food and thanksgiving are the cornerstone of community and spiritual life
Most people have just scratched the surface of the “you are what you eat” idiom. Reducing our consumption patterns to nutrition and physical health not only undermines our understanding of individual well-being but our humanity itself. Every morsel of food is embedded in a complex web of relationships. From nutrients and flavours to energy and labour to community building and spirituality, food has an impact on every aspect of our lives. In this piece, I look at why food systems affect community development efforts and the spiritual life. In Part 1, I share with you a brief overview of the food system, and breakdown our place within it. For Part 2, I will take a deeper dive into the parts of the food system, and how those parts relate to our community and spiritual lives.
The Food System
There are many ways to model food systems and if you are interested, I recommend taking a moment and searching for food system illustrations. Each model will look different but there are common points of references. The Oxford Martin Program on the Future of Food defines food systems as “a complex web of activities involving the production, processing, transport, and consumption.” At its core, the food system is the complex web that links the producer to the consumer. We could spend countless hours discussing and exploring the ideal food system, which is a worthy conversation to have, but I will simply use a model that I believe to be representative of a whole systems approach while being relatively simple.
The parts of the system are as follows: 1) production; 2) processing, transportation & retail; and 3) human consumption. In this model, we find two key components: minimal inputs and a stable, constrained system. The inputs is anything that needs to be added to the food system for it to remain sustainable. A food system that relies heavily on inputs will eventually collapse. This is why a careful study of a food system accounts for those inputs. A stable and constrained system is one that prevents overconsumption, facilitates nutrient recycling (through composting), and prevents overconsumption (thereby preventing land degradation, soil erosion, etc.). Minimal inputs and a stable, contrained system go hand in hand.
The Consumer
For the consumer, food is a mere commodity. It is something that is bought and consumed, nothing else. Perhaps we could argue that a consumer with taste will be a little more concerned with quality but nevertheless will simply go to the supermarket and purchase his or her food, unknowingly participating in a larger system. At one point in hislife, the great Levantine scholar and saint Imam al-Nawawi used to only eat the morsels of bread and the olives sent by his father from Nineveh because he feared that the food produced and traded in Damascus was done so unjustly. Out of immense scrupulousness, he strove to make sure that his food came from ethical sources.
The food system is deeply connected to the web of our lives. Unfortunately, the consumer mentality has tricked us in believing that we are not part of that system. By removing ourselves from that system, our daily bread and the abundant nourishing gifts that we receive from our Creator are consumed without a greater awareness. This heedlessness brought forth by the ignorance of providence and destination of our food leads us to be wasteful. And the Qur’an reminds us of this:
“It is He who produces both trellised and untrellised gardens, date palms, crops of diverse flavours, the olive, the pomegranate, alike yet different. So when they bear fruit, eat some of it, paying what is due on the day of harvest, but do not be wasteful: God does not like wasteful people.” (6:141)
Wastefulness is not a quality of those who thank their Creator. By consciously participating in the food system, consumers become grateful. They understand the source of their provision and the responsibilities of their consumption.
Looking at the above food systems graphic, I’ll break down the consumer’s four roles and responsibilities:
Prevent overconsumption: This is perhaps the most important responsibility because it relates to the ethical character of the consumer. A regenerative food system requires that consumers consciously consume their goods. To prevent overconsumption, consumers must be able to control their lusts and desires. Without that, a food system cannot be regenerative. By assessing our own consumption, we can determine what we need and cut back on what we want. I’m not saying that we should get rid of the pleasures in life, but it’s important to recognize that we are overeating and wasting food at unprecended levels.
Recover wasted food for human consumption: Thankfully, wasted food can be recovered. Fresh produce, for example, can be repurposed as baked goods (banana bread anyone?), broths, dips, roasted vegetables, apple sauces, etc. Milk can easily be turned into cheese or yogurt.
Nutrient recycling: To be fair, food perishes and will eventually become dangerous to eat. That said, nutrients will remain. As consumers, a regenerative food system requires that we participate in some kind of composting program. Ideally, a consumer is producing some of his or her food, which means a home composting system can be set up. That said, if need be, a community or municipal composting system is a solution that recycles nutrients from food.
Reprocess waste as animal and fish feed: Finally, waste can serve as nutritious animal and fish feed. This project in Vermont is a prime example of how waste can be reprocessed as feed, while also recycling nutrients and making compost.
If consumers start following these roles and responsibilities, then they begin to ethically participate in the food system. Whether we like it or not, we are part of the food system, and that system is none other than the web of life. When environmentalists talk about the climate crisis, they give the impression that if human beings were gone, the world would be a better place. I believe in the contrary. Human beings make the world a better place. I recently heard someone say, “we don’t have a climate crisis, we have a human crisis.” I stand by that. Overconsumption and an apathy towards goodness and virtue disenchants our world and our relationship to it.
Drawing Inspiration
Every week, I share books, podcasts, films, and other resources that will support your journey as a community facilitator and builder.
Books
I’ve been revisiting the word of the great Muslim Malay thinker, Syed Muhammad Naquib Al-Attas. His work, Islam and Secularism, is a short treatise that offers a practical philosophical lens to decolonize (my interpretation) knowledge. Al-Attas argues that the process of secularism has three major consequences: 1) the disenchantment of nature, 2) the desacralization of politics (not to be confused with a theocracy, but rather the idea that a leader ought to be just because God is just), and 3) and the deconsacration of values (e.g. the loss of the cardinal virtue). As I was thinking about this piece, I couldn’t help see the intimate link between food systems and secularism.
Home made banana bread is the best!