Strauss & co - WWF Art Auction

58 Growing passion for collaborative partnerships W ith German and American parents, flavours and food were often interesting when I was growing up. We cooked with ingredients that weren’t always the norm, and not always a popular choice for us kids. Over the years my interest in food has developed immensely, not just from the aspect of sustenance but also that of pleasure and enrichment.’ Tatjana von Bormann ( pictured centre ) is passionate about stimulating interest in the food we eat, and raising awareness about the ingredients we use, their source and how they were produced. Through her work with WWF-SA, she strives towards re-establishing the relationship between consumer and producer. As Market Transformation Manager at WWF- SA, her work is predominantly about convening collaborative initiatives where businesses are able to find innovative, sustainable solutions to reducing the impact of commodities that leave the largest footprint on our environment. In South Africa, the primary focus is on the procurement of seafood, beef, dairy and other agricultural commodities. It is also steered by the reality that solutions to current environmental and social challenges require unique collaborations involving NGOs, business, and government – and to some degree how we as consumers, in our personal capacity, can influence the impact on our planet. ‘Our diet, how and what we eat, has changed fundamentally over the past few decades. Easily accessible food, often processed, is the order of the day with little concern for where it came from or what nutrients it actually contains. Processed food is a huge part of the problem,’ she pauses, before adding, ‘Did you know that after extractive industries, food production carries the heaviest environmental burden?’ As the facts stand, much has changed in the way of food and its production in the last 50 years. The global challenge is that farmers around the world must match 10 000 years of food production in the next 50 years in order to meet the world’s food demands. In South Africa alone, if the current 2% growth trend persists, our population of 51 million will rise to 82 million by 2035. This means that the pressure on the natural resources we need to grow food will continue to mount. ‘But this is not just about food security,’ stresses Tatjana , ‘it is about social security. Hungry people are angry people. Hence, viewing sustainable agriculture through the lens of food security shows us that protecting our soil, water and other natural resources is as much about national security and social justice as it is about responsible custodianship of the environment.’ With a background in media and marketing, © Martin Harvey /WWF-Canon ©WWF © Peter Chadwick ‘