Sustainability of Food Production Systems (DP IB Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS)): Revision Note

Increasing Sustainability of Terrestrial Food Production

• Humans are omnivores, consuming a variety of foods, including:

  • Fungi

  • Plants

  • Meat

  • Fish

• Diets that include more food from lower trophic levels, such as plant-based diets, are generally more sustainable

  • This is due to their reduced environmental impact

Crop vs. livestock production

• Yield and cost:

  • Crops:

    • The yield of food per unit of land area is significantly higher with crops than with livestock

    • Crop production also has lower financial costs associated with it

  • Livestock:

    • Producing food through livestock requires more land and resources

    • It is usually more expensive

Plant-based diets

• Increasing the proportion of plant-based foods in diets can make agriculture more sustainable

• This is because plant-based diets decrease the demand for resource-intensive livestock farming

• Energy efficiency is greater in a plant-based diet compared to a meat-eating diet due to several factors:

1. Trophic levels:

   • Energy is lost at each trophic level as it moves up the food chain

   • When we consume plant-based foods directly, we bypass the energy loss associated with raising animals for meat

   • By consuming plants (the primary producers) directly, we utilise energy more efficiently

2. Feed conversion efficiency:

   • Animals raised for meat require significant amounts of feed to grow and develop

   • However, a large portion of the energy from the feed is used for the animals' own bodily functions and metabolic processes, rather than being converted into edible biomass

   • This inefficiency in feed conversion results in higher energy losses when obtaining nutrition from meat

3. Land use efficiency:

   • Producing meat requires vast amounts of land for grazing or growing animal feed crops

   • This land could otherwise be used more efficiently to cultivate plant-based foods directly for human consumption

   • By consuming plant-based foods, we optimise land use and reduce the energy required for livestock farming

• By focusing on lower-trophic-level food production, such as promoting plant-based diets, it is possible to:

  • Maximise food production per unit area

  • At the same time, mitigating the pressure on land resources

Global food production and distribution

• Current production:

  • Global agriculture currently produces enough food to feed approximately eight billion people (the global population currently stands at 8.1 billion in 2024)

• Despite this, food is not distributed equitably around the world

  • Some regions experience surpluses, while others face severe shortages

• Food waste:

  • It is estimated that at least one-third of all food produced is wasted

  • This can be during:

    • Post-harvest

    • Storage

    • Transport and distribution

• SDG goal:

  • The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 12 aims to:

    • “...ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.”

  • Target 12.3 within this goal focuses on:

    • Reducing global food waste by 50% per capita at the retail and consumer levels (i.e. halving global food waste) by 2030

    • By minimising food losses throughout production and supply chains (including post-harvest losses)

Strategies for sustainable food supply

1. Reducing demand and food waste:

   • Encouraging plant-based diets: shifting towards plant-based diets can reduce the demand for resource-intensive animal products

   • Improving food distribution systems: increasing the efficiency of food distribution can help ensure that food reaches those in need and reduce waste. For example:

     • Using refrigerated transport to keep food fresh longer

     • Optimising delivery routes to reduce transport time

     • Collecting and redistributing surplus food to those in need

   • Educating consumers: raising awareness about the importance of reducing food waste at the consumer level can have a significant impact

2. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions:

   • Plant-based meat substitutes: developing and promoting plant-based alternatives to meat can reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with livestock

     • These products mimic the taste and texture of meat but are made from plants

   • Low methane rice cultivation: using rice cultivation practices that produce less methane can help reduce agricultural emissions. For example:

     • Periodically draining and re-flooding rice fields

     • Applying additives that reduce methane emissions

   • Reducing methane release by ruminants: adjusting livestock diets and using dietary additives like seaweed can lower methane emissions from ruminants

3. Increasing productivity without expanding agricultural land use:

   • Extending shelf life: improving preservation methods to extend the shelf life of food can help reduce waste. For example:

     • Improved packaging

     • Improved refrigeration

   • Genetic modification: using genetic modification to create crops with increased productivity. For example:

     • Crops that produce higher yields with the same inputs

     • Crops that are more resistant to pests and diseases

   • In-field solar-powered fertiliser production: using solar energy to produce fertilisers on-site

     • Reduces the need for synthetic fertilisers

     • Reduces reliance on fossil fuels (required for production of synthetic fertilisers)

     • Reduces production and transport costs