The Human-Food-Environmental Nexus: Anthropological Perspectives on the Impact of Human Food Choices Through Time

This chapter will look at the impact of human food choice on the environment through time. It will draw on archaeological evidence to examine how domestication of plants and animals played a key role in changing biomes, often leading to social and environmental degradation. Case studies will include the introduction of sheep to Australia, cattle grazing in the Americas, and large-scale wheat farming in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. The chapter will highlight the ways in which each of these practices dramatically altered native biomes and played a key role in human malnutrition. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the lessons learned from history to improve the future of our planet through a balanced consideration of the impact of human food choices on the sustainability of our future food systems.