Our congress
After the First International Sustainable Living Congress …
The First International Sustainable Living Congress was held in Anadolu Downtown Hotel in Ankara on 15-16 March 2019. The main theme of the congress was Sustainability and Life: Sustainable Food and Nutrition Approaches for a Livable World for Next Generations. With 200 participants, 28 invited speakers, 7 of which were foreign speakers, 18 oral presentations, 15 poster presentations and panels, participants from 13 universities held speeches and discussions with rich academic content in 14 sessions for two days. 13 official and non-governmental organizations were represented at the congress, including national and international organizations and institutions such as the UN, WHO, FAO, UNESCO, EFAD, OCHA, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Red Crescent, and AFAD. During the congress, sustainable development goals, healthy diets, agriculture, food and nutrition practices, sustainable food and nutrition studies, 50 foods of the future, biodiversity, recycling, prevention of food waste, climate change, carbon footprint, geographical indication, agroecology and permaculture, Issues such as physical activity and lifelong learning were discussed. In verbal presentations, young researchers, sustainable lifestyles, vegetarian-vegan diets, organic foods and health awareness, leftovers in collective nutrition, out-of-home eating habits, gluten-free food perceptions, nutrition and carbon footprint in old age, physical activity habits of university students, eating with zero waste They presented very interesting and future-proof works such as bariatric surgery.
It is possible to summarize the outcomes of our congress as follows:
The common determination of all speakers is that our world is under great threat in terms of health, food and nutrition with the effects of global warming and climate change.
In particular, climate changes, which are predicted to increase by 2 C degrees in 2050, environmental pollution and increased greenhouse gas production pose a significant threat to sustainability. The increase in the world’s population every year increases the current demand for food by 60%, making the threat to the environment more dramatic.
The effects of climate change on health and food should be evaluated in detail according to nutritional status, income levels and livelihoods of countries and individuals, and measures should be taken urgently.
Agriculture, food production, water supply, energy supply, land use and nutritional habits should be revised in accordance with population growth, and practices should be implemented as soon as possible.
1/3 of the food produced is wasted before it comes to the table. If these foods are not wasted, the food needs of 2 billion people can be met.
Bread, which is our main source of energy and nutrients, is the most wasted nutrient.
Food and agriculture; It has a very important role in ending poverty, hunger and malnutrition, in protecting our natural resources and responding to the negative effects of climate change.
Conscious food choices are a crucial step in improving the world’s food system.
Healthy, sustainable nutrition recommendations should be included in the nutrient-based guidelines of countries and communities should be made aware of this issue.
Being a cultural heritage with its positive effects on the environment, the Mediterranean Diet is a sustainable diet model.
There are many important nutritional problems in the world and in our country, from malnutrition to obesity, and the frequency of these problems will increase rapidly if the sustainable diet is not widespread.
Creating a sustainable healthy eating environment is necessary for the prevention of these diseases, and it is urgent and necessary to develop and implement national health, agriculture and food policies from this perspective.
Our country has the potential to create genetic resources for sufficient wheat cultivation areas and improvement studies of local wheat varieties.
A healthy life can only be achieved by ensuring sustainable nutrition, food security and food security, and adopting healthy lifestyles. It is necessary to maintain a physically active life for a healthy lifestyle.
‘Biodiversity’ is essential for a sustainable world and needs to be protected. Biodiversity is important not only for living things, but also for soil, air and water health.
Geographical marking of local foods grown in our country is extremely important in terms of both protecting cultural heritage and contributing to the economy.
It is necessary to make a joint effort to protect, grow and increase the consumption of locally grown food and to cooperate with the people of the region to contribute to sustainability.
In rural areas, as in farms, it can be contributed to sustainability in city life with conscious technological applications.
Sustainability should be included in our lifelong learning practice.
There is no other world we can go to. In the future, action must be taken immediately to provide our children with a livable world and sustainable food and nutrition opportunities.
