The Future of Food

By AHL Editorial Team, on 7.28.22

Food can be our medicine — for our bodies and the planet. What we eat, how we eat, and the kind of food systems we support help determine our future. 

On June 22, the Beach Caves at Six Senses Ibiza hosted a conversation led by AHL editor-in-chief Tansy Kaschak where activists Nathalie Kelley, Arizona Muse, Bela Gil, and a group of local and international farmers, hoteliers, journalists, and community leaders shared local and global perspectives to reimagine The Future of Food.

The conversation turned into action: four composting sites have been activated by MakeSoil.org on the island in July and new supplying agreements are being established with local farmers. 

Why do we talk about The Future of Food?

The NY Times recently published an article titled “Feeding A Hotter Planet”. Calling attention to the fact that the world faces an unprecedented hunger crisis, made worse by climate change. 

Nearly a third of our food is wasted and much of it goes to landfills (in Ibiza it is estimated between 20 and 25%), increasing the production of greenhouse gases like methane and aggravating climate change. At the same time, because of the overuse and under replenishment of nutrients, our soil quality is decreasing at an alarming rate. 

We must create more circularity in our food systems: supporting local farmers and composting our food waste, sending it back to where it belongs to help regenerate our soil that in turn can sequester more CO2 from the atmosphere.

How do we create food security and circularity in Ibiza and beyond? 

It is estimated that Ibiza has lost 77% of its agricultural land in the past decade and that only 2% of the produce consumed on the island is produced locally, 98% being imported from Spain’s mainland and other countries.  

Terra Viva Ibiza, led by Andrea Abad and Felipe Toro Mejia, works with local farmers to revitalize abandoned and underused agricultural land, regenerating the soil and increasing local organic food production while inspiring and educating local farmers and land owners to help capture CO2.

As an important step toward greater circularity is to connect more hotels, restaurants, and households to local producers, the organization Ibiza Produce, led by Gaby Bambina, created a map and directory of producers on the island. 

To make sure the food scraps from private and commercial kitchens are going back to the ground, we need more access to composting sites and to educate visitors and the local community on how to use them. Josh Whiton, the founder of MakeSoil.org, is currently spending time in Ibiza doing this work. 

Who else joined the conversation and is pushing the needle forward?

Arizona Muse, fashion model and climate change activist, has been living on the island with her family for the past year and, via her organization Dirt Charity, works on soil regeneration projects around the world while raising awareness for the cause. 

Bela Gil, a renowned Brazilian chef, tv presenter, and food activist, works to educate people on the importance of creating resilient food systems and promoting access to healthy food and nutritional education.

Nathalie Kelley, Peruvian-Australian actress and activist of indigenous descent, is on the board of the Kiss The Ground Foundation and of the Fungi Foundation. Over the past two years has dedicated her work to raising awareness and resources to preserve the knowledge of indigenous peoples as they behold the ancestral, efficient, low-cost techniques that can preserve natural ecosystems and help mitigate climate change. 

Tierra Iris, a farm and community living co-founded by Mathia Milani, has hosted permaculture and agroforestry courses and workshops.

The Alan and Christian Anadon, also known as the Mambo Brothers, owners of several restaurants on the island, also attended the circle and are committed to buying local produce and supporting the creation of composting sites where they can send their kitchen scraps.  

It is no novelty that Ibiza has a water problem: the demand over the high season months is enormously greater than the local natural supply. Alianza Agua Ibiza Formentera is a participatory space that promotes integrated and sustainable water management. Inés Roig attended the event representing the organization and shedding light on the crucial work that must be done to enable the recovery of overexploited aquifers in Ibiza.

Tansy Kaschak, journalist and activist, editor in chief of A Hotel Life, who led the conversation, is an advocate for creating more circularity and responsibility in hospitality. A Hotel Life celebrates unique, independent, conscious hospitality from around the world who are also not compromising culture, design, and entertainment, proving that doing good and having a good time are not mutually exclusive.

 

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