From Food Production to Food Security - Global Environmental ...

Improving input-use efficiency across the whole food systemThe food system approach discussed in this thesis helps identify where input-use efficiencycan be increased. Regarding the ‘food producing’ activity, future intensification (includingthe use of improved germplasm via genetic modification), must seek to increase theefficiency of use of added inputs while minimising adverse effects on the environment. Thisis especially necessary so as to minimise the contribution of producing food to crossing the‘planetary boundaries’ (Paper 3), and innovative production methods will need to bedeveloped.Gregory et al. (2002) noted the need to reduce the loss of nutrients from fertilisers andmanures, and increasing the efficiency of water utilisation in crop production, but pointed outthese were challenging objectives. The need to improve the efficiency of inputs inagricultural systems is still well recognised and research necessarily continues to be focussedon these goals. Main attention is targeted towards nitrogen (e.g. Hirel et al., 2007; Ahrens etal., 2010), water (e.g. Hsiao et al., 2007; Blum, 2009) and energy (e.g. Nassiri and Singh,2009). Other necessary research avenues involve better coupling of plant and animalcomponents in agricultural systems to optimise input use efficiency.The need to increase the efficiency with which we translate scientific knowledge to thefarmer and other resource managers is also well recognised, but it is beset withmethodological challenges; how do we define knowledge; how do we engender better‘uptake’; how do we measure success? Given the massive investment in agricultural science,work on ‘knowledge-use-efficiency’ warrants a major effort. Falling largely in the socialsciences, this would add great value to what is currently a biophysically-dominated agenda.There is also a need to understand how to increase input use efficiency across other areas ofthe food system. The use of energy and water needs to be optimised in transport and storage(especially in the cold chain); in food processing; in retail; and in consumption. Paper 3details many of the environmental impacts associated with the full food system but perhapsthe most pressing need is to reduce waste.Waste occurs in all food system activities. In food production, estimates range from 8-22% ofcereals wasted at farm-level and post-harvest due to poor storage (Bala et al., 2010), to nearly100% in some situations for horticultural produce (Parfitt et al., 2010), although this isusually termed post-harvest ‘loss’. Over 40% of marine fisheries is wasted as by-catch(Davies et al., 2009).Parfitt et al. (2010) also note seven other stages in the whole food system where food iswasted, not least post-purchase. They estimate that 25% of food purchased (by weight) iscurrently wasted per year in UK households, up from 1-3% immediately pre-Second WorldWar. Given the economic, environmental and ethical costs this waste must be reduced, andresearch is urgently needed on how to improve consumer perceptions and attitudes to waste,118