As part of the celebration of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which is commemorated tomorrow, 17 June, this afternoon the meeting “How can we contribute from gastronomy to alleviate desertification?”, organised by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) in collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center, was held. Casa África and Casa Árabe in Madrid. In 2022, Spain has been chosen to host the celebration of this day, which is promoted by the United Nations.
The day was divided into two parts: a round table with several experts who addressed the impact of desertification on food and, subsequently, a tasting of products with a low water footprint in the gardens of the Casa Árabe to raise awareness of the effects of this environmental problem on our daily lives.
GASTRONOMY AS A TRANSFORMATIVE AXIS
Gastronomy is a tool for transformation because of its power to reach all people. Gastronomy encompasses the entire food value chain normally associated with restaurants, but gastronomy is also every house in every country in the world. Gastronomy is a representation of the territories and their people, their culture, traditions, their environment and nature.
Our lifestyles determine our water footprint. Following sustainable and healthy diets, such as the Mediterranean diet, also generates benefits for the environment since the intake of fruits, vegetables and fish provides significant water savings, if we take into account that meat, animal fats and dairy products are the foods that need the most water for their production.
Sustainable gastronomy is based on seasonal ingredients and products and contributes to the preservation of wildlife and our culinary traditions, as well as promoting more sustainable production and production practices. To analyse these data, the conference “How can we contribute from gastronomy to alleviate desertification?”, was held with the participation of Irene Lozano, general director of Casa Árabe; José Segura, general director of Casa África; Blanca del Noval, research chef at BCCinn and head of the BCulinaryLAB, of the Basque Culinary Center; Claudia Polo, disseminator, gastronomic entrepreneur and founder of Soul in the Kitchen; and Alí Habib Rundasa, a chef of Ethiopian origin who has been in Madrid for more than 15 years leading two restaurants specialising in Ethiopian cuisine, NURIA and HANNAN.
“As the world’s population grows, the demand for land to provide food, feed and fibre for clothing increases. As consumers, we all have the power to act, including through our food and fashion choices,” said the executive secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Ibrahim Thiaw, who opened the event together with the director of the MITECO Biodiversity Foundation, Elena Pita.
“Initiatives such as the one we are sharing this afternoon, with gastronomy and sustainability as protagonists, contribute to awareness, information and abound in our objective of involving citizens and society as a whole in the adoption of small daily gestures that, with the complicity and involvement of all, are key to a better future for the planet”, Pita added.
THE WATER FOOTPRINT IN FOOD
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), it is estimated that 70% of the world’s water footprint is related to food. To produce food, large amounts of water are required, with meat being the product that requires the most liters for its preparation. The water footprint (HH) is an environmental indicator that defines the volume of total fresh water used to produce the goods and services we usually consume. HH serves to raise awareness of the water consumption we need in our daily lives and, therefore, is used as a basis to achieve a more efficient management of this resource.
The study Evaluating the Water Footprint of the Mediterranean and American Diets, published by the Center for Studies and Research for the Management of Agricultural and Environmental Risks (CEIGRAM) of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, assures that following the Mediterranean diet is a good option to reduce the water footprint, while at the same time it is essential to improve our health. Approximately 47% of its ingredients are vegetables and legumes, and the remaining 63% are fruits, eggs, fats and animal products, especially fish and seafood, and with a very moderate use of margarines, sugars, dairy products and meats.
China, India and the United States are the countries with the largest water footprint in the world, accounting for 38% of water consumption. For its part, Spain, despite being the driest country in the European Union, ranks second – behind Portugal – with the largest water footprint in Europe, with 2,461 m3 per inhabitant per year, the equivalent of spending 6,700 litres per person per day.
The consequences of water scarcity could compromise our way of life as we know it in developed countries, and further limit the opportunities of developing countries.
