Say you did want to correct the environmental and social problems of the agricultural industry. Rather than consuming for great justice, you might try some good old fashioned political action. But what exactly should you action for?

Waste

There is a lot of waste at every stage of the food chain from the farm to your house. Fixing this is a big campaign in Britain right now. Start an education campaign or get into some civil-disobedient dumpster diving.

Carbon

Buying local or organic is a lazy proxy for low carbon. European grocery stores have proper carbon labelling, which reveals the two biggest problems in agriculture: beef and air-freight. Nudge argues that mandatory labeling is a reasonable government intervention; mail your MP.

The last mile

Getting food from the grocery store to households is incredibly inefficient. Talk to your city council about zoning and property tax incentives to get a grocery store within 400 metres of every household. You can improve your own consumption by ordering online.

Pesticide and fertilizer

These are serious problems but organic isn’t a sustainable solution, genetic modification is. Lobby your MP for chemical labeling; organic certification is too broad of a brush.

Fair trade

Buying food from the under-developed world only helps them if the money doesn’t end up in the pockets of shareholders in the developed world. Why are so few products Fair Trade certified? Is Fair Trade the best solution? I’m not sure what the political action is in this case.