UDLCO summary : Often a global study comes out in a high impact journal that is lapped up by Indian journalists to provide an Indian slant that ensures it will make their newspapers even if that may or may not improve citation metrics for the original study authors. The paper under discussion successfully angers Indian newspaper readers with references to their favorite diet and reflexly make them pooh pooh the paper as gobbledygook particularly as papers are increasingly getting written in a style that is not for average plain English consumption.
The paper needs to be understood in simple terms with first understanding more about biodiversity which to summarize drastically is best represented by a pristine forest untouched by humans! Now just think of the first human settlers there coming and razing some of the forests to convert it into agricultural land. In short that's the message of the paper which identifies how certain human diets beget more and more agricultural land with resulting loss of biodiversity and pre human animal habitat destruction. It simply reflects global human population of food consumers and their diets. If there are more Indians in this globe consuming more idlis based on rice cultivation, it's a logical outcome and doesn't really tell anything about Indians or their diet? What is more important is what happens to biodiversity after humans start converting agricultural land to urban dwellings! It's reaching irreversible proportions of mass extinction?
Conversational learning adda transcripts:
In a global academic discussion group :
[2/23, 8:25 AM] Rakesh Biswas: On a related note (as far as food is concerned) here's a Plos one study fresh off the shelves and making waves in India as it dared to defile the venerated idli and I longingly quote (unjournalistically providing some background before jumping to the idli part) :
"Habitat loss for food production is a key threat to global biodiversity. Despite the importance of dietary choices on our capacity to mitigate the on-going biodiversity crisis, unlike with specific ingredients or products, consumers have limited information on the biodiversity implications of choosing to eat a certain popular dish. Here we estimated the biodiversity footprints of 151 popular local dishes from around the world when globally and locally produced and after calorical content standardization."
"The biodiversity footprint was calculated using three biodiversity indicators, namely species richness, threatened species richness, and range rarity affected by converting natural habitat to cropland or pastureland. Additionally, we considered four scenarios, feedlot-grown and locally produced, feedlot-grown and globally produced, pasture-grown and locally produced, and pasture-grown and globally produced. In the globally produced scenarios, biodiversity footprint was calculated based on the global distribution of species and crops, while the locally produced scenarios were calculated at the country level."
Ambiguous ingredient types and measurements
When an ingredient was specified in a generic manner, the top ingredient of that type in terms of global production was assumed. For instance, soybean oil was assumed when only “oil” was mentioned in the recipe.
High-biodiversity-footprint chicken, rice, and legume dishes tended to be from India and included chicken jalfrezi (type of tomato-based chicken curry), chicken chaat, chana masala, idli (savoury rice cake), and rajma (red kidney beans curry) (Fig 2)."
[2/23, 8:26 AM] Rakesh Biswas: Longingly was longishly before it got ACeed
[2/23, 9:23 AM] +1 (317) : Phew! I don’t say this often: This is a very poorly written paper IMO. Very convoluted sentences and difficult-to-follow sentence structure! Took a long time to read, and even then, I’m not sure I completely understand what’s being said.
That said, what I took away is that it’s not that idli or any other dish has a high biodiversity footprint _per se_; its footprint is high because the ingredients have been sourced from India - as the agricultural product has been grown by encroaching on farmland that was “taken” from animals in India..
So, if my understanding is correct, if I made idli at home with ingredients sourced locally, then the biodiversity footprint should be much lower.
[2/23, 9:42 AM] Rakesh Biswas: Slight clarification :
Yes the article does pose a formidable reading challenge 😅
I had to read it to figure out what Indian journalists meant when they cooked it further here:
And as suspected they didn't get it.
Can't claim to have understood it well myself but the main goal of their research appears to pivot around their concern for dwindling global biodiversity (think of the real Amazon ecosystem) and anything we humans grow, wherever, is surely going to affect it?
The only way to have minimal biodiversity impact would be to revert to foraging than growing our food and letting the Earth reclaim it's territory from the vast amounts of agricultural land humans stole from it in their blink and miss evolutionary timeline?
The article off course doesn't attempt to touch that aspect but simply points out how humans stole from the Earth simply with their growing eating habits as opposed to their earlier foraging habits!
[2/23, 9:55 AM] +1 (317): In any case, no one’s going to give up idli based on this analysis.
[2/23, 10:00 AM] Rakesh Biswas: We would need to give up eating anything but foraged food according to this analysis! 😅
[2/23, 10:03 AM] +1 (317): True
Same time in another global Metapsych group :
[2/23, 8:09 AM] Metapsychist Number 1 Kims 2015: Dishes with beef as the main ingredient (e.g. picanha, fraldinha (both beef cuts), chili con carne (spicy stew with chili peppers, beef and beans), and beef tartare (raw ground beef dish) were frequently top dishes in terms of biodiversity footprint under all three biodiversity indicators in all scenarios. In addition, we found a consistent significantly lower biodiversity footprint for vegan and vegetarian dishes compared to dishes containing meat. These results agree with previous studies finding a lower environmental impact associated with meatless diets [36]. The high biodiversity footprint associated with feedlot-grown beef is explained because cows have a less efficient and below-average feed conversion ratio as compared to the other animals [37]. For pasture-grown beef, it is also a result of cows requiring a large grazing area per unit of meat produced.
From same article
[2/23, 8:13 AM] Metapsychist Number 1 Kims 2015: Vegan and vegetarian dishes in general had — as expected — lower biodiversity footprints than dishes that contained meat. But, the researchers said, it was surprising to find that dishes with rice and legumes as main ingredients also had high biodiversity footprints.
“The large impacts of legumes and rice in India was a surprise, but when you think about it, it makes sense,
From same article.
Alternative for rice as staple food?
Millets?
[2/23, 8:13 AM] Rakesh Biswas: This could make you rethink your rightist cow project! 😅
Cows and all animals (including monkeys without tails) are better off in terms of biodiversity only in jungles
[2/23, 8:15 AM] Rakesh Biswas: Can't spare the leftist either here!
[2/23, 8:15 AM] Metapsychist Number 1 Kims 2015: Dairy industry causes almost as much harm as meat industry.
Nonetheless,we gotta start controlling somewhere
[2/23, 8:17 AM] Rakesh Biswas: How?
In terms of biodiversity how can we promote healthier cow rearing options?
Even grazing is not a great option as the article shows!
Learn from Nilgais or wild cows in the jungle?
[2/23, 8:18 AM] Metapsychist Number 1 Kims 2015: Agroforestry
[2/23, 8:19 AM] Metapsychist Number 1 Kims 2015: Encouraging agroforestry systems where trees and shrubs are integrated into pastureland can enhance diversity
[2/23, 8:28 AM] Rakesh Biswas: Also look up perma culture
[2/23, 10:02 AM] Metapsychist Number 1 Kims 2015: Hazda tribe
[2/23, 10:03 AM] Rakesh Biswas: Even ancient Rishi ecosystems
[2/23, 10:03 AM] Metapsychist Number 1 Kims 2015: Food for thought!
In healthcare 2.0 group :
[2/22, 9:21 PM] Someone : Idli among top 25 dishes causing most damage to biodiversity, say scientists http://www.telegraphindia.com/
[2/24, 10:35 AM] SBB: Another fake narrative being promoted. The Telegraph. Kolkata publication. Another “leftist” newspaper. I rest my case m’lud…
[2/24, 11:12 AM] K S : This is not about idly but rice used in idly. Rice and MSP to Rice have become huge impediment to biodiversity like millets and other lesser used products. Another impact is water flooding due to construction of dams to grow rice which is causing irreparable damage to other ecosystems
[2/24, 11:16 AM] SBB: So rice is a problem now. What’s the answer then?
[2/24, 11:17 AM] SBG : This study deserves the Ig Noble
[2/24, 3:03 PM] K S : Consumers should Just add a millet along with rice. Reduce demand for rice. And change MSP for rice or give MSP for millets equal to rice
[2/24, 3:42 PM] I G : I have been making idli/dosa/paniyaram without rice for many years now.
For idlis we use a mixture of bajra rava, jowar rava, corn rava and kodo millet, in any proportion. We have a mixture of at least two of these. This mix is added to soaked and ground urad dal.
We use the same batter for paniyaram, with added grated or finely chopped veggies, generally grated carrots and chopped onions, green chillies and coriander leaves.
For dosa we use a mix of jowar, bajra and ragi flour which is added to soaked and ground urad dal.
[2/24, 3:57 PM] RcV : We stopped eating breakfast for the last 6 years. Idli is a delicacy made once in a while..once in fortnight. 🤣.
[2/24, 4:01 PM] I G : We still do have breakfast as I don't step out of the house on an empty stomach.
I think I will treat myself to rice idlis sometime.
[2/24, 4:42 PM] RNG : I have switched to multi grain millet khichdi for dinner and multi grain roti and a Lil brown rice for lunch. Feels very nice
[2/24, 5:52 PM] SBB: I’m not convinced. I like my rice as it is. If I have to change, I prefer not to eat it.
[2/24, 5:57 PM] K S : That is your right.But the MSP and the ever increasing paddy fields are destroying biodiversity. Atleast provide MSP for other crops to maintain biodiversity of food
[2/24, 6:25 PM] SBB: This’s getting political. The farming community already gets all sorts of subsidies (fertilisers, electricity, water) and pay no income taxes. My opinion is that they should sell it in the market anywhere in the country that gives them the best price. MSP is another subsidy. What’s next? Increase taxes to double or treble the current rates? Best option. Let the non-farming BPL folks starve to death. Egad! 🤦♂️
[2/24, 6:29 PM] Rakesh Biswas: Very interesting turn of events moving the impact of this paper into different directions like wild fire!
[2/24, 6:32 PM] SBB: What else did you expect from an article in a leftist newspaper from dear old West Bengal? Derision?
[2/24, 6:56 PM] D A : As a non expert, my question - everything prices of onions or tomatoes or potatoes go up, govt intervenes to bring them down because they can cause fall of govts - it doesn't do so when airlines have jacked up fares post covid or hotels have increased tariffs post covid or when hospitals loot. So farmers can't make money in demand and supply situation.
[2/24, 7:16 PM] RN G: Farmers don't. Middle men do. The Essential Commodities Act was brought in to stop hoarding which was rampant in early 50's. Doing away with this act would enable the well oiled to control prices Willy nilly. Happens now too. It's a big lobby controlling each segment. My farming experience brings out the fragility of the poor eco system. Even today, major subsidies don't reach the marginalized farmers
No comments:
Post a Comment