The Sustainable Food Lab is "a global network of organizations facilitating market-based change for a sustainable food system." They do not discriminate against beliefs or methods, and say that their agnosticism helps in their success by being able to draw from many different sources. One project they are handling in particular is on vanilla, called the Sustainable Vanilla Initiative (SVI). This project aims at addressing the issues with rising prices and falling quality worldwide and to ensure the security of vanilla farmers and the environment at the same time. While reading about the project, I was struck by how very complex the issue really is. It has so much more going into it than just sustainable farming and making sure the farmers make a fair profit. There are local and global manufacturers, farmers, sellers, etc. all over the world. The industries that vanilla affects and is affected by is also quite diverse, encompassing food, fragrance, flavor, and others. Particularly affected by what happens to vanilla is Madagascar, the state that produces 80% of the world's vanilla.
In reading this article, I learned that we are apparently in the middle of a vanilla crisis in which vanilla bean prices are high but quality is very low. There are a number of other issues that are involved in this crisis such as the issue of child labor. As I kept reading, thoughts about where we are at as humanity in general in terms of food production and how we are cultivating/manipulating the land kept entering my mind. I couldn't help but think that this is another example of people meddling with the environment and only making matters worse as we try to fix them. What was once simply a gift from the ground for us to enjoy is now a whole market and business involving millions of people around the world and its own set of problems. My next though was even scarier; this isn't even the full extent of it! The vanilla crisis has been other plants throughout history and many more to come or occurring now. There are probably an insane amount of problems with the sustainability of most of our food that we are completely unaware of. I am glad to have come across the Sustainable Food Lab because it's nice to know that there are people dedicated to the various issues facing sustainable food development. Though it feels like it might not directly affect you, the sustainability of food is a moral and human rights issue that I am now realizing more and more should be a concern for all of us.
In reading this article, I learned that we are apparently in the middle of a vanilla crisis in which vanilla bean prices are high but quality is very low. There are a number of other issues that are involved in this crisis such as the issue of child labor. As I kept reading, thoughts about where we are at as humanity in general in terms of food production and how we are cultivating/manipulating the land kept entering my mind. I couldn't help but think that this is another example of people meddling with the environment and only making matters worse as we try to fix them. What was once simply a gift from the ground for us to enjoy is now a whole market and business involving millions of people around the world and its own set of problems. My next though was even scarier; this isn't even the full extent of it! The vanilla crisis has been other plants throughout history and many more to come or occurring now. There are probably an insane amount of problems with the sustainability of most of our food that we are completely unaware of. I am glad to have come across the Sustainable Food Lab because it's nice to know that there are people dedicated to the various issues facing sustainable food development. Though it feels like it might not directly affect you, the sustainability of food is a moral and human rights issue that I am now realizing more and more should be a concern for all of us.
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