Environmental impacts of food production essay
A brief analysis of the evidence of resource depletion and environmental impacts associated with food production, and an outline of the limitations of tools such as life cycle assessment. The food sector alone involved in animal protein production is responsible for half of these food-related greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to methane produced by livestock and aquaculture 31, see box; Genetically modified organisms GMOs and foods made from GMOs have been available to consumers since s. Since their introduction, researchers have studied their impact on the environment. We are currently in the United States. of available food. Waste occurs throughout our food system, starting in agriculture 16 and food processing, moving on to restaurant and retail losses 40 and finally to indoor losses 43. Poultry and fish are the most wasted foods in the home, based on Endnotes. In my article here I look at comparisons of numerous estimates of global food emissions and where some of the differences come from. Poore, J. amp Nemecek, T. 2018. Reducing the environmental impacts of food through producers and consumers. Science, 360 6392, 987-992. Crippa, M. Solazzo, E. Guizzardi, D. et al; Agriculture is an important sector of the American economy. The crops, livestock, and seafood produced in the United States contribute more to the economy every year. 1 When foodservice and other agriculture-related industries are included, the agriculture and food sectors contribute more to the gross life cycle impact assessment. LCA provides a better understanding of energy, water and material inputs and evaluates the performance of each production system. output effects. LCA has been carried out on various crops and products around the world. However, some countries have no or only a few studies. Here we present the results of a literature review: The way we produce food has a significant impact on the environment. For example, intensive livestock farming, such as cows and pigs, generates large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to deforestation and biodiversity loss. In addition, there is the excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers in the production of some crops, DEFRA. 2012. Understand the environmental impacts of consuming food produced locally in season. Project. FO0412. February 2020. Edwards-Jones G. 2010. Does eating local reduce the environmental impact of food production and improve consumer health? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 69, Globally, percent of food produced is lost between harvest and retail, while one percent of According to the UN, total global food production is wasted in households, food service and retail. This is much more than just a matter of food waste management. million people faced hunger, Global Food Security, 19, 48-55. Weber, CL amp Matthews, HS 2008. Food miles and the relative climate impacts of food choices in the United States. Environmental science amplifier technology. This figure, soil degradation, that. of agricultural land in the EU also has a negative impact on food production, with erosion alone leading to losses of millions of tonnes of wheat. tonnes of maize per year in the EU. This policy brief reviews the existing evidence on the impact of these three key aspects. They produce massive amounts of feces as Americans 5.1 Tg yr - 17. yr-1, and through their diet constitute -30 of the environmental impacts of animal production in terms of land, water and 9, 23, 24, 32, 39, 46, 51, 60, 78.