Environmental impacts of food: Globally, the food and agriculture sector accounts for more than one-quarter of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To put that in perspective, that is about equivalent to the annual emissions of all of China, the world’s highest emitting country. Meat production contributes two-thirds of this impact, mostly because it requires a lot of grain and land to feed animals. (Also because cow farts release methane, a potent GHG… I actually join professional meetings where people talk about how to stop cows from farting and burping. Be jealous.) Eliminating animal products from U.S. diets cut the country’s GHG emissions by 61%.

Moreover, food production contributes to 70% of global water use, 75% of deforestation and about 40% of the polluted U.S. drinking water supply. The irony is that our modern incentives and power structures in the food system are undercutting the very natural resources that they depends on: healthy soils, clean and abundant water, and a stable climate. As one example, a two-degree rise in global temperatures is estimated to reduce crop yields around 30 percent. Fasting from certain foods, specifically meat, during Lent provides an opportunity to reconsider how our choices impact our planet.

Food insecurity and hunger: Nearly one billion people globally suffer from food insecurity, which means they are not able to consistently afford or obtain nutritious food. While many of these people live in other countries, nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population is food insecure, including 17 million children. I spent a summer in college in a rural town in India and was confronted for the first time with extreme poverty. I remember experiencing intense culture shock in the grocery store after I came home. Here, we have an entire aisle devoted to different varieties of cereal, but people across the globe didn’t have access to proper nutrition or sanitary water. This Lent season, as you change your food habits, let your cravings remind you of God’s beloved children in our neighborhoods and globally that need food. Consider how we can build God’s kingdom by feeding His people.

Human rights in modern agriculture: Modern slavery and child-labor also hides deep within our food’s supply chains. While it is hard to pin down specific numbers, the Department of State consistently uncovers slavery in the production of palm oil, cocoa, shrimp and other major commodities. It would be easy to assume this is far away in other countries, but the U.S. is not innocent. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has liberated over 1,200 workers held against their will as farm laborers, mostly in the Southeastern U.S. Migrant workers or homeless U.S. citizens are recruited to work long-hours with wages as low as $20 a week, and are unable to flee due to coercion, indebtedness, or threat of violence. Spend some time reading about these tragedies at the Coalition’s website or this NPR article, and then pray specifically for the safety and wellbeing of the people who grow your food.

Like so many topics, when the problems we see in this world come into focus, it can be incredibly overwhelming – especially since we all have to eat! That is why fasting at Lent can be so powerful. We can consciously make choices that are better for the planet and for people, even if just for a week. Reducing your meat consumption or food waste, supporting local farmers who are using good practices, or asking your favorite companies what they are doing to halt these problems in their supply chains can be great ways to engage in this topic. We can become “empty” so that God can fill us, and in doing so, we can help bring a piece of His vision for the Kingdom to fruition on earth.

Prayer: God, thank you for making the invisible visible to us, even if it is painful to see. We pray for everyone and everything impacted by our food system. As we empty ourselves of certain food luxuries this week, tie our hearts more to the hungry, to the enslaved, and to the planet that supports us. Remind us of our prosperity and help us see how we can share with others because we know that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.