Environmental issues

Air Pollution

Air pollution is caused by the introduction in the atmosphere of harmful substances or chemicals. It can harm or cause discomfort in human beings and other living organism when inhaled and it can also contaminate food and water sources. Excessive quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere of the Earth, which are a direct result of air pollution, have contributed to climate change and deterioration of the physical and social conditions for agriculture.

Based on:

• Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1998), Art. 2.1
• Agenda 21 – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992), Activity 9.28a
• UNEP Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (2001), Art. 3 (+ Annex A and B)

Water Mismanagement and Contamination

Water mismanagement and contamination occur when the quality and/or quantity of water resources available are altered by human activities. Inefficient and ineffective use of water resources can lead to the over-use of water or water stress and create problems of scarcity; this is defined as water mismanagement. In the food and beverage sector this problem is often associated with over-irrigation but it can also be linked to the overuse of water during industrial processes of food production. Water contamination happens when harmful chemicals, pesticides or other dangerous residues are discharged into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove damaging compounds. Run-off from chemicals sprayed on fields and animal waste can enter local water systems, leading to significant problems if not properly treated.
Based on:

• Agenda 21 -United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992), Activity 18.76d-f
• UN Economic and Social Council Protocol on Water and Health (1999), Art. 4.2 and 5

Harmful Agricultural or Aquafarming Practices

Harmful agricultural and aquafarming practices can cause significant depletion and degradation of soil in the land and aquatic and coastal environments involved in or connected to aquafarming. These practices can include over-reliance on, and abuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides (or antibiotics in the case of aquafarming), waste mismanagement, overgrazing of animals, monoculture plantings, tilling or ploughing, exploitation of land and/or of fishing pools and land degradation. Reliance on harmful agricultural and aquafarming can lead to a range of soil-health related environmental problems such as land erosion, desertification, mineral depletion, soil salinisation, acidification, and loss of agricultural biodiversity.

Based on:

• Agenda 21 – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992), Activities 10.6, 10.7, 11.12, 12.18d and 13.16a
• FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (1995), Art. 6.19, 7.1.1 and 9.4.1
• FAO Rome Declaration on World Food Security (1996), Objective 3.2
• UN Convention on Biological Diversity (1993), Art. 10

Lack of Animal Health and Welfare

Animal welfare and health in food production are not respected when the animals’ physical and mental health and well-being are threatened and not duly protected.

Based on:

• OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2007), Chapter 7.1
• OIE International Aquatic Animal Health Code (2007), Art. 1.2.1. and 1.3.1.

Degradation of Natural Ecosystems

A natural ecosystem is an intricate, dynamic system linking plant, animal and micro-organism communities, and their non-living environment as a functional unit. Degradation occurs when a change is introduced that negatively alters the systems’ natural balance and threatens biodiversity. Land conversion, from uncultivated to cultivated, deforestation and overfishing are all examples of practices which radically transform previously uncultivated natural ecosystems. Similarly, the misuse of natural resources (e.g. water) or use of ‘harmful agricultural or aquafarming practices’ may also introduce changes to previously ‘wild’ areas which degrade the existing off-farm ecosystem. Small modifications to previously holistic ecosystems can often trigger the over exploitation of vegetation resources or the extinction of animal species since the natural balance of the ecosystem has been eliminated.

Based on:

• FAO Rome Declaration on World Food Security (1996), Objectives 3.1 and 3.2
• Agenda 21 – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992), Activity 12.18
• UNConvention on Biological Diversity (1993), Art. 8 and 10N

Restricted Access to Natural Resources

Limited or no access to natural resources, (such as forests, water and pasture resources), or their unequal distribution between society groups (e.g. affluent and marginalised, local community and business owners, etc.) threatens the livelihoods of the most disadvantaged groups that depend on them to cover even their basic needs. These situations can restrict the benefits of access to affluent groups only, possibly leading to unequal use or mismanagement of the resource so that its quality and/or quantity are insufficient for local community needs.

Based on:

• UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2008), Art. 29 and 32
• Agenda 21 – United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992), Art. 14.18
• FAO Voluntary Guidelines to Support the Right to Food (2004), Guideline 8
• UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, General Comment 23, Art. 27 from the Human Rights Committee (1994)
• UN Millennium Development Goals (2005), Goal 7, Target 3