How traditional Chinese medicine helps promote sustainable agriculture: FAO Chief
Traditional Chinese medicine helps promote sustainable agriculture, as it offers a holistic approach to disease prevention while using organic herbal products often grown by small-scale family farmers, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) chief said on Saturday.
Jose Graziano da Silva, the FAO DirectorGeneral, made the remarks at the 15th World Congress of Chinese Medicine (WCCM) in Rome, a two-day event hosted by the Italian Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Italian Association of Acupuncture. He pointed out that traditional Chinese medicine helps promote sustainable agricultural by sparking the demand for organic and herbal products in many parts of the world, offering an interesting market for family farming.
“Differently from large-scale specialised farming, family farmers usually run diversified agricultural activities based on traditional knowledge,” the FAO chief said. “Over generations, they have developed many practices that help avoid the use of large quantities of pesticides and chemicals. Family farmers also recover and preserve traditional crops, safeguarding biodiversity and contributing to healthier and more balanced diets,” Graziano da Silva said. He added that achieving the FAO’s Zero Hunger by 2030 Sustainable Development Goal is not just about feeding the hungry, but also about improving the quality of food itself.
This means tackling the current obesity pandemic resulting from the consumption of industrialised, processed foods that contain a lot of salt, sugar, and other harmful additives.