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Losses, inefficiencies and waste in the global food system

Alexander, Peter; Brown, Calum ORCID iD icon; Arneth, Almut 1,2; Finnigan, John; Moran, Dominic; Rounsevell, Marc D. A.
1 Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung – Atmosphärische Umweltforschung (IMK-IFU), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)
2 Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung (IMK), Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT)

Abstract:

Losses at every stage in the food systeminfluence the extent towhich nutritional requirements of a growing global
population can be sustainablymet. Inefficiencies and losses in agricultural production and consumer behaviour
all play a role. This paper aims to understand better themagnitude of different losses and to provide insights into
how these influence overall food system efficiency.We take a systems view fromprimary production of agricultural
biomass through to human food requirements and consumption. Quantities and losses over ten stages are
calculated and compared in terms of drymass, wetmass, protein and energy. The comparison reveals significant
differences between these measurements, and the potential for wet mass figures used in previous studies to be
misleading. The results suggest that due to cumulative losses, the proportion of global agricultural dry biomass
consumed as food is just 6% (9.0% for energy and 7.6% for protein), and 24.8% of harvest biomass (31.9% for energy and 27.8% for protein). The highest rates of loss are associatedwith livestock production, although the largest absolute losses of biomass occur prior to harvest. ... mehr


Verlagsausgabe §
DOI: 10.5445/IR/1000067280
Veröffentlicht am 02.03.2018
Originalveröffentlichung
DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2017.01.014
Scopus
Zitationen: 294
Web of Science
Zitationen: 250
Dimensions
Zitationen: 320
Cover der Publikation
Zugehörige Institution(en) am KIT Institut für Meteorologie und Klimaforschung – Atmosphärische Umweltforschung (IMK-IFU)
KIT-Zentrum Klima und Umwelt (ZKU)
Publikationstyp Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Publikationsjahr 2017
Sprache Englisch
Identifikator ISSN: 0308-521X, 1873-2267
urn:nbn:de:swb:90-672800
KITopen-ID: 1000067280
HGF-Programm 12.02.02 (POF III, LK 01) Vegetation climate- and land use system
Erschienen in Agricultural systems
Verlag Elsevier
Band 153
Seiten 190-200
Nachgewiesen in Web of Science
Dimensions
Scopus
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