Chapter 15 – Food Security and Sustainability

In this chapter, we will examine how issues of food security and sustainability affect the health of the individual. 

Human nutrition and the health of the world’s ecosystem are interdependent, meaning that what we eat and where we get it from affects the world. In turn, the health of the earth influences our health. The term sustainability is used to indicate approaches aimed at reducing human impact on the environment. Sustainability promotes the development of conditions which allow people and nature to interact harmoniously.  Sustainability includes not only a focus on the environment but also on economic, political, and social development issues.  These four dimensions are included in the Circles of Sustainability approach,  a process that a community may use to examine all of the dimensions necessary for creating sustainable cities and communities. See one example of a circle developed for the city of Sao Paulo below. 

^{Urban sustainability analysis of the greater urban area of the city of Sao Paulo using the ‘Circles of Sustainability’ method of the UN Global Compact Cities Programme.SaintGeorgeIV CC BY-SA 3.0}

Contributor: Sarah Walter,

Long Description:

A diagram titled “SAO PAULO 2012” visually represents the sustainability of Sao Paulo in four categories: Economics, Ecology, Politics, and Culture. The diagram has a radar chart divided into sectors to display the status of different aspects within these categories. Each sector varies in color and size, corresponding to its evaluation status ranging from “Vibrant” to “Critical.” The categories are labeled with specific sub-aspects, such as “Production & Resourcing” under Economics and “Engagement & Identity” under Culture. A color key on the left specifies the rating scale: green for “Vibrant” and red for “Critical.” The title “CIRCLES OF SUSTAINABILITY” is at the bottom of the image.

Transcribed Text:

SAO PAULO 2012

ECONOMICS Production & Resourcing Exchange & Transfer Accounting & Regulation Consumption & Use Labour & Welfare Technology & Infrastructure Wealth & Distribution

POLITICS Organization & Governance Law & Justice Communication & Movement Representation & Negotiation Security & Accord Dialogue & Reconciliation Ethics & Accountability

ECOLOGY Materials & Energy Water & Air Flora & Fauna Habitat & Land Place & Space Constructions & Settlements Emission & Waste

CULTURE Engagement & Identity Performance & Creativity Memory & Projection Belief & Meaning Gender & Generations Enquiry & Learning Health & Wellbeing

Vibrant Good Highly Satisfactory Satisfactory+ Satisfactory Satisfactory– Highly Unsatisfactory Bad Critical

*Sao Paulo Macro Metropolitan Region, 2012

CIRCLES OF SUSTAINABILITY