Eating healthily doesn’t just mean getting your vitamins. In order to continue producing and eating nutritious food, we need to use the world’s resources without depleting or polluting them. Enter sustainable agriculture: farming and production techniques that protect the environment and public health and promote animal welfare. Sustainable agriculture and Fair Trade share the philosophy that the future should not be sacrificed for the present, and that farm workers deserve just treatment and fair prices for what they grow and produce.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Maintaining salmon runs to protect fish populations is one example of sustainable agriculture. Another is making sure that a growing region stays biodiverse even as demand for one superfood or another soars. In order to support sustainable agriculture and Fair Trade, we may need to pay a little more for our food. Buying from farmer’s markets, food co-ops or CSAs in your area is one option. If that’s not realistic for your budget, ask your local supermarket which of their foods are sustainably sourced. Sustainability is the key to our future.