Consumer Empowerment in Agroecosystems Management
Publication Information
- Author: Cheryl Marie Cordeiro
- Publication: Today’s Manager (Official quarterly publication of Singapore Institute of Management)
- Issue: Issue 4, 2021
- Pages: 27–29
- Section: Business / The Nordic Perspective
APA Reference
Standard Format:
Cordeiro, C. M. (2021). Consumer empowerment in agroecosystems management. Today’s Manager, 4, 27–29. Singapore Institute of Management.
With Digital Repository Identifier:
Cordeiro, C. M. (2021). Consumer empowerment in agroecosystems management. Today’s Manager, 4, 27–29. Singapore Institute of Management. urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-79046
Alternative with DiVA Link:
Cordeiro, C. M. (2021). Consumer empowerment in agroecosystems management. Today’s Manager, 4, 27–29. Singapore Institute of Management.
https://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ri:diva-79046
Article Summary
The article discusses how consumers can be empowered to participate in agroecosystems management as a means toward sustainable consumption and quality living.
Historical Context
- Singapore introduced its National Recycling Programme in 2001.
- In the 1990s, young consumers struggled with individual environmental choices (plastic bags, styrofoam food containers).
- The solution seemed binary: “go green” alone or wait for system changes through technology/legislation.
- By 2021, “recycle and reuse” became an innate societal value, but global challenges have intensified.
Current Global Challenges
- Impactful climate changes
- Loss in biodiversity and Holocene extinction
- Overconsumption and overpopulation
- Food security concerns
- Need for systems management approach to ecological processes and agricultural production
What is Agroecology?
Definition and History: Identified in scientific literature since the 1920s; rooted in regenerative farming and family farm practices; described by FAO (2009) as integration of science, movement, and practice; combines ecological processes and agricultural production systems.
Distinctive Features: Focus on bottom-up, territorial processes delivering local, contextualized solutions; combines vanguard technologies with traditional, practical, and local knowledge; key agents of change include producers, business owners, and consumers (not just government).
Three Foundational Categories (FAO):
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Foundational practices and innovation approaches: Diversity, synergies, efficiency, resilience, recycling; co-creation and knowledge sharing.
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Local contextual features: Human and social values; culture and food traditions.
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Enabling environment: Responsible governance; circular and solidarity economy.
Key Insight
Agroecology strategies are integrative and inclusive of entire food systems, from design to management to consumption. Strength lies in diversity of approaches toward ensuring food security, quality nutrition, environmental conservation, and regeneration.
Consumer Empowerment Strategies
1. Consume Diversely — Only three cereal crops provide nearly half of all calories consumed globally; this trend drives biodiversity loss. Consumers can drive market demand for diverse, ecologically sustainable products. Example: Norway and Singapore can promote locally cultivated aquatic species.
2. Be a Food Source Detective — Read food product labels carefully; know where and how food has been produced; look for sustainable harvest certifications (e.g., MSC – Marine Stewardship Council); check packaging labels for how, where, and when seafood was packaged.
3. Encourage and Support Regenerative Farming Practices — Buy from producers whose farming practices imitate natural ecosystems; support biological recycling techniques (e.g., Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture, crop–livestock rotation systems); support use of manure for composting and crop residues as livestock feed.
4. Connect with Your Local Producer and Market — Buy from local farms/producers; support short food supply chains; enhance socio-economic resilience and food security; increase producer income while maintaining fair consumer prices. Examples include local producer markets, community-supported agriculture, and e-commerce initiatives.
Social and Institutional Innovations
Co-production and sharing of food production methods and knowledge between producers and business owners is crucial for effective agrosystems management.
Conclusion
Rather than feeling guilty about food choices, consumers should encourage and support better farming practices through informed purchasing decisions that contribute to sustainable consumption and quality living.
Author Credentials
Cheryl Marie Cordeiro is a Scientist at Nofima (The Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research) in Tromsø, Northern Norway. She holds a PhD in applied linguistics from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Current projects include:
- EU-China-Safe (food safety and traceability for EU–China food partnership)
- TastyKelp (bringing novel seaweed products to market)
- Market Access (studying non-tariff barriers to global trade for Norwegian seafood)