Food

production,
consumption
and wasting
Food production in Vagos
Past and present
 Food production
Not a long time ago agriculture in Vagos was very different
from today.

Then:
People toiled the land in a very simple and natural way.
They followed the seasons and the moon cycles, from
the sunrise till the sunset, using mainly manpower and
using animals.

They planted turnips, cabbages, potatoes, corn, pumpkins,

carrots, onions, garlic, beans, …
At the same time they had chickens, pigs and cows especially
to produce milk.
That is why Vagos was called ‘the Portuguese Netherlands’
In that time everything was used, either for the animals or for the land.

When people were preparing food and after eating they used the rest
of vegetables and food to feed the pigs, chickens, rabbits, cows and
to produce compost later it would fertilize the land.

As we live near
the Ria de Aveiro
farmers took
advantage from its
richness.

They made their animals’ beds with reed that

later turned into manure, which was used to
fertilize the soil.
 Farmers used the seaweeds to cover the sandy
land to protect and to keep its humidity so that
the crops could grow quickly and nicely.

That is to say people used natural fertilizers and

didn´t produce food waste.

With these examples we want to show you that our grandparents had
environmental friendly ways of toiling the land and raising cattle, that is
what we today say: they had sustainable agricultural practices.
 To honor those attitudes and some traditional ways of cooking
special groups were created, for example:

And Confraria das Abóboras

Confraria das Sainhas makes delicious makes desserts, soup, sweets,
dishes with some parts of pork. jams with pumpkins.
 Agriculture in Vagos nowadays

With the evolution of our agriculture, farmers started using machines, pesticides and
chemical fertilizers, so that the crops can grow faster, bigger and in huge numbers.

We started producing more, bigger, in all seasons and the circle from nature to nature,
as our grand parents did, was lost in time.

Do we really need to produce SO MUCH?

To buy or not to buy so much?

In industrialised countries food waste happens when there is abundant food,

demanding, rich and wasteful consumers.

In the European Union 88 million tons of food are wasted, equivalent to 173kg
per person. (Fusion 2016)

In Portugal 1 million tons of food is wasted per year.

Not only is a waste of resources but it also contributes to

climate change.

As consumers we must be aware of our choices.

 Are we producing and storing too much?
In most developed countries living in a comsumption society there is a huge amount of
wasted food either before and after buying it.
Tons of food are wasted according to the condition of the
package, the country it comes from, distant or too
distant.
The transportation, either by ship or by plane or by lorry,
that is to say too much time travelling.

% rotten fruit and vegetables

Thus vegetables and fruit are picked too soon, still unripe,
consequently they are often tasteless and go rotten quickly.
How can we diminish food waste?

At home people let many vegetables go rotten

in the refrigerator .
So, organise it.

Label all the products with the date to

know till when and what you can eat and
what you still have to prepare your
meals.

Make use of the foodstuff like stalks,

leaves of vegetable for soups, potatoes
peels as chips
 When shopping, buy what and the
quantity you really need.

Cook the quantity you’re going to eat.

Have healthy eating habits.

Spread the word, call people’s
attention to food waste. Act.

29th September, international

day of awareness of food loss
and waste
 Weblinks
Ribeiro, Orlando; Lautensach, Hermann, Geografia de Portugal, vol. IV, Ed. João Sá da Costa, Lisboa
1991.
Confraria Gastronómica "As Sainhas" | Vagos | Facebook

Csa - Confraria dos Sabores da Abóbora

Aveiro - REFOOD - Aproveitar para Alimentar (re-food.org)

Food Loss and Waste Reduction | United Nations

How to prevent fruits and vegetables from rotting (indiatimes.com)

One-Third of Food Is Lost or Wasted: What Can Be Done (nationalgeographic.com)

https://www.waste360.com/food-waste/analyzing-food-waste-city-level

Food waste: how much of it is consumer responsibility? | Guardian sustainable business | The Guardian
Teşekkürler
Obrigado

Work made by: Manavgat, April 2022

Anna Julia Francisco
Carolina Bogalho
Mariana Dias
Nicole Conti