By Sara Hussein
Farmers around the world are struggling with the impact of climate change, financial pressures and depleted soil—and industry experts say bringing consumers closer to the people who produce their food could provide a solution.
A group of farmers, scientists and development specialists are pushing for "conscious food systems," arguing that many of the problems in today's food production are the result of people being "alienated" from nature and each other.
Current food production systems are "not really fit for their purpose," said Andrew Bovarnick, head of food systems at the United Nations Development Programme.
"It's causing huge environmental problems ... we have more food in the world, but there are more people than ever who are malnourished and starving," he said.
Bovarnick spent years looking at technical solutions to food production challenges but believes technology alone cannot solve the problem.
Instead, he and other members of the Global Conscious Food Systems Alliance, meeting in Bhutan this week, want more "mindful" food production focused on protecting the environment, farmers and consumers, rather than maximizing profit or output.
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