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Seeds for the future of the planet

The question of feeding the world's population is being raised more and more insistently every day. The world press echoed the report of a Scandinavian foundation that aims to transform our global food system through scientific advice, events and new partnerships.

Summaries of the EAT-Lancet report were published worldwide in January 2019. Its conclusions are in line with what Sigdal has been saying from day one: just like nuts, seeds are a healthy, natural and beneficial food for the planet because of their high nutritional value and low environmental impact.

How can we feed 9 to 10 billion human beings in 2050 while respecting the environment?

This is the question posed to humanity by its own demographic explosion. The way in which developed countries eat has changed considerably in recent decades. The place taken by animal proteins has become very important. So have processed foods and sugars. The planet cannot, without undergoing upheavals, extend this mode of feeding to the whole of the human race. Too expensive for the planet, this diet is also too rich for the human body. To avoid this double impasse, humanity must therefore find a credible alternative in order to feed itself.

Because of their exceptional nutritional value and their high vegetable protein content, seeds and nuts are now being promoted by the scientific community. Although they are not the only answer to the problem of feeding 9 to 10 billion people in 2050, they are undoubtedly part of it. .

To preserve the planet, do more and better with less

Our planet has never been more populated than it is now. Every year, however, it loses many hectares of arable land to urbanisation. The efficiency of each plot of land is a decisive issue at a time when the policy of intensive cultivation is increasingly being replaced by a more natural and traditional approach: with fewer hectares, we will have to do more and better. Seeds provide better nutritional efficiency per hectare while remaining natural.

Exceptional environmental impact

Sigdal's environmental impact is exceptional: because it contains no air or water, its concentration of very high quality nutrients makes it one of the most efficient products on the market in terms of transport. One truckload of 33 pallets from Sigdal means 33,000 people fed for a day!

The report of the EAT-Lancet Committee

The 37 researchers from around the world who met in the EAT-Lancet Commission to discuss the future of the planet's food supply have a report that makes various observations:
- The human population will be between 9 and 10 billion people in 2050.
- Today, agriculture occupies more than 40% of the arable land available on Earth.
- Food production accounts for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Agriculture and animal husbandry use 70% of the planet's fresh water.
- 800 million people suffer from hunger.
- 2 billion people are overweight.

Selected pieces of this report include: " Global food production threatens climate stability and ecosystem resilience. It is the main driver of environmental degradation... There is an urgent need to radically transform the global food system..." Indeed, "there is a wealth of scientific evidence linking the food system, human health and environmental sustainability". " Food is the most powerful lever for optimizing human health and environmental sustainability in tandem. »

With this in mind, he suggests making the choice of health and sustainability by reducing meat consumption and turning to plants as a source of protein.

The report recommends doubling the consumption of healthy foods such as fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole seeds while drastically reducing the consumption of red meat, sugars or refined seeds (flour). The proposals do not leave anyone indifferent, as the report suggests limiting the consumption of red meat to 14 grams per day, or chicken to 29 grams.

In order to achieve the transformations it advocates, the EAT-Lancet Commission proposes the following actions:
- An international and national commitment for a transition to healthy food.
- Reorient agricultural priorities from quantity production to quality production.
- Intensify sustainable food production to increase high quality production.
- Strict and coordinated governance of land and oceans.
- Reduce food losses and waste by at least half, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

The nutritional virtues of seeds undoubtedly classify them among the products that can participate in a "healthy diet" as defined by this report. 

Green Monday.

In a similar perspective, in early January 2019, 500 personalities in France launched an appeal to stop eating meat or fish on Mondays: "Green Monday". This approach aims to improve our diet (a diet too rich in meat promotes cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, problems of antibiotic resistance, and increased risk of epidemics) while limiting its impact on the planet.

Preservation of the planet, sustainable development, etc.

There are many concerns about the future of the planet. Some of them are due to the feeding of a rapidly expanding humanity (crops for herd food, deforestation, monoculture, etc.). These concerns will only grow as the population increases and new damage linked to the intensification of human activity appears.
Plant proteins will, therefore, be increasingly cited as one of the reasoned solutions to this food problem. This discourse is held by a few today. It will be held tomorrow by a growing number of people who are as concerned about their health as they are about the future of the planet.