Environmental Impacts of Food Production - Research Paper Example

Critical analysis of environmental impacts of food production Introduction There has been a great media frenzy regarding the food production and the effects of the environment on the food production as there is an increasing awareness regarding the issue. There have been many studies that have compared the green house gas emissions and there impacts on the food production. The other focus of the studies has been on the long distance traveling of the food that has been know as the food mile. These are two of the main facts that have been researched in the case of there impacts on the food production and in the end the quality of the food that is being delivered. Food transportation It has been observed that the food is transported over the longer distances and the average distance that has been calculate din this case is 1640km while the distance that the food travels in accordance to the life cycle supply on average is 6760 km. In the case of the green house gas emissions, it has been associated with the food production as these are the emissions that contribute to an increase in the carbon footprint in the environment. The research shows that that annual increase in the carbon footprint on an annual basis results in the emissions of 8 tones CO2 in one year. Carbon foot printing and food transportations There is a increasing concern among the environmentalists to lower the carbon foot printing in the environment and it has been in some cases defined as the measure of the responsibility of the consumer in case of the green house gas emissions. The knowledge in regards to the sustainable consumption has been the cause of an increase in the awareness regarding the impacts of the food production on the environment especially in relation to the carbon foot printing. It has been seen that great amount of research has been done and it has been seen that the food, production of food, transportations, home as well as the energy consumption are the main aspects of the impacts of the consumers’ personal choices. Green house gas emissions by different food groups By the help of the studies it has been estimated that the total distance that the food travels in one year is 1.2000km to a single household in USA. It has been estimated that out of these 12,000kms that are traveled b the food, 3000kms were travelled as a result of the direct grade of the food supply chain and this has been referred to as the production at the farms and the delivery of the food to the retail stores. Case study The food production scenario has been different in different countries and here the case study of the production of strawberry in UK as compared to Spain shall be considered. The life cycle assessments has been carried out in order to analyze the level of the green house gas emissions as well as to see if it is helpful in the green conservation. It has been argued by Byrne, (2009) that in UK, the strawberries are grown on the small scale fruit farming and only a small quantity of the strawberries is produced that are used entirely by the consumers. The main need of the strawberry is the provision of the nutrients required by the body and its use in the food supplements as well as a fruit. The nutrients that are present in the strawberry include energy (30,000kcal), protein (0.610g), total fat (0.370), Calcium (14,000mg), Potassium (166,000mg), vitamin C (ascorbic) (56,700mg), and no cholesterol. For the production of the strawberry in UK, frost free soil having a temperature higher than -2⁰C is prepared. Cloche or tunnel-protection is used in order to protect the strawberries from damage and least windy but sunny areas are chosen for the production of the fruit. The pesticides are used on the strawberry farms against the aphids, red spider mite, slugs and powdery mildew. The processing of the strawberries has been a simple process that includes the picking, washing and grading and storage in a safer and a cooler place. Inexpensive packaging materials are used for the packaging of the fruit. The transportation systems in the case of the UK include the transportation of the finished and packaged fruits to the retailers as well as the delivery of the waste materials back to the farms. In comparison to this, Spain is studied for the growth of strawberries. it has been added by Handscombe, & Handscombe, (2007) that in Spain, the strawberries have been regarded as a small scale as well as a large scale fruit as most of the fruit that is produced is exported to the other countries globally that include USA and UK. The strawberries in Spain are grown in the South Western part, in the Huelva Region. The farmers are on a smaller scale and the individual farmers own these, while the groups of the Spanish fruit growers manage the large-scale farms. It has been accepted as a fact that the strawberries from the Spanish region are the best as it has been seen that the growth enhancing chemicals, fertilizers and organic matter is used to increase the quality of the strawberries. Because of some reasons that Spanish strawberries have been in higher demand especially in the European countries. As a strong contrast to the conditions in UK, the longer periods of sunshine and hot summers are required to grow the Spanish strawberries. Harvesting and packaging of the strawberries are the processes that are simpler and similar to those undertaken in UK. The main difference in this case is that of the transportation and as it has been seen that the Spanish strawberries are also used globally thereby a higher transportation is required. Recommendations on the environmental impacts The labor that is needed on the Spanish strawberry farms is far greater as compared to the labor that is required on the UK strawberry farms. The water that is used by the Spanish strawberries is greater than that of the UK strawberries. The transportation of strawberries in Spain uses a lot more energy as compared to the strawberry transportation systems in UK. More strawberry wastes are produced in Spain as compared to any other country that produces strawberries. Thereby here it can be seen that the strawberry production in UK has lesser impacts on the environment as compared to the strawberry production in Spain. Life cycle assessments These are the studies that have demonstrated that there can be the alternate methods for the production of the food in the case of the methods of production as the well as the packaging systems. The changes are needed in the consumption patterns and there are shifts needed ion the dietary habits, the changes are expected in the case of the transportation and the delivery of the food products. These are the changes that can improve the safety of the food as well as increase the food security and these improvement might be important in the increase in the international trade. Beech, and Simpson, (1989) says that it has been seen that the complexities in the systems is increased by the multiple outputs that are gained by the food production systems. To understand the complexity it has been seen that there is an in depth research required in the life cycle assessments in order to make the predictions on the green house gas emissions. Life cycle assessments on strawberries The main themes that are required to be assessed in the life cycle assessments in the case of the strawberries include Packaging, Chilling, Transit to RDC, Losses as well as the Wastes and these also include the per ha scaled by yield and the allocations. Needs of life cycle assessments on strawberries production In this paper, the production and the manufacturing of the strawberries in Spain and UK are to be studied and in the case of the strawberries the main environmental impact requisites that are required include the resources have have been used in the production. Byrne, (2009) has argued that these include the abiotic resources as the fossil fuels that have been indirectly used in the production in both the countries as the data is to be used in the analysis. The minerals that might have been used in the soils used for the production are to be included in the analysis. The minerals that are included in the analysis include calcium, phosphorus, potassium as well as the uranium. In addition to these the main environmental impacts that are studied as well as the an analyzed are by the help of a detailed analysis on the emissions in the environment during the production and these are inclusive of the global warming potential that has been counted in the weighed and the most important food production impacts. the analysis of the global warming potential is measured by the help of the analyses of the amount of carbon dioxide that might be released in the next hundred years if the same production pattern is followed. The second main point that is measured in this case is the eutrophication. These also include the acidification of the nearby soils. Ozone depletion has been added in the analysis list as this is one of the most important measures. The third main point that has to be measured in the life cycle assessment is the amount of the pesticide that has been used on the fruit fields in bith the countries as UK and Spian. It has been seen that the soils on which the higher amounts of pesticides are used have negative impacts on the environments. Data needs Handscombe, & Handscombe, (2007) says that for the detailed life cycle analysis the main data that is required includes the Structures & mulches, the use of any recommended or self designed growth media, the amount and the nature of the fertilizers that have been used, the amounts of the pesticides as well as the fumigants that have been used on the fruit fields, kinds of irrigation systems employed. In case of the transportation, the main data needs include the kinds of the fuels that are used and they may include diesel, or electricity. For the production, the data needs include the kinds of the machinery overheads that are used. In this case the important data can be the leaching, and the production of gases at the fields and any production of the wastes and the data recorded for the total yield as well as the quality of the final fruits. Life cycle assessments on packaging It has been observed that the research on the life cycle assessments has placed special focus on the food as the food with its production has been linked to many environmental problems in the world. It has been seen that there are a variety of the foods that are consumed by the consumers thereby the case studies that have been produced in relation of the food production impact on the environment, are focusing only on a limited number of the foods. However, the case studies are more detailed as compared to the case studies that would be produced with the higher number of the food products included. Packaging also has a role in the environmental impacts of the food and it is recommended that the lesser use of the packaging can lead to the greater conservation of the energy as lesser packaging material is being produced and manufactured. Conclusions from the Life cycle assessments Handscombe, & Handscombe, (2007) says that the life cycle assessments in the case of the strawberry production in UK and Spain are rather mixed and there is no specific categorization. It has been seen in this case that the green house gases that are emitted by the fruit farms in both the countries is not just the carbon dioxide. There are many other gases that are emitted. However, in this case one of the main differences that has been seen is that main environmental impact has been because of the strawberries based in Spain as it has been mentioned in the case study that greater transport is required for the strawberries that are grown in Spain. Thereby in the case of Spain, the Transportation of the finished product is the main issue while there is lesser transportation required in the case of the finished products in UK. It has been estimated by Davis, and Diegel, (2007) that the in case of the transportation of the Spanish strawberries, the main solution that has been proposed is that of the storage, localization of the fruit supply. It has been seen that if the food supply chain is localized than there are no emissions that are a consequence of the delivery miles that adds up to 0.36 t CO2 in one year. Although many researchers to be non have critiqued the assumption realistic however it has been realized that there will be a reduction in the green house gas emissions to some extent. Bureau of Economic Analysis (2002) have added that the studies have shown that there are many food groups and it has been seen that there are different life styles having varying and different importance. In UK, it has been assessed that much better growing climate is being provided to the strawberries as the use of minerals and pesticides has been limited. Moreover the other main difference that has been noticed is in the case of the packaging material that is used for the transportation of the finished products. Plastic and steel is being used for the packaging and it has been considered as the main fact that has been of importance in the analysis. Byrne, (2009) says that the other main data that has been of importance is the use of fumigation. This fumigations being used on both countries farms however the farms in UK have been relying on the fumigation on a greater extent as compared to the farms in Spain and the fumigation generally includes methyl oxide. It has been seen that almost 85% of the strawberries that are produced in the UK are fumigated thereby they are the ones that can have negative effects on the environment. In the case of the farms that are used for the production of Strawberries, it has been seen that the land resources that are used by the poly tunnels in Spain have a large environmental impact as a lot of water is being used in these poly tunnels. Although these are the poly tunnels that have not been seen to be using much of the heat and as compared to the farms in Spain it seems that the farms in UK may require more heating in the earlier days of spring. A large number of strawberries in UK are only available in the summer season and it has been seen that the strawberries are used by the food manufacturers that use these strawbeeries in the manufacturing of the jams and the jellies so the limited production in UK can have effects on the producers as compared to the production scenario that has been seen in the case of the production in Spain. When the analysis of the poly tunnels used in the farming of the strawberry is done than it has been seen that the Spanish poly tunnels are built in such a way that improves the ventilation in the poly tunnels as well as the material handling has been found to be easier. Moreover it has been seen that the poly tunnels in Spain relies on the use of plastic that also improves the ventilation. Conclusion There is a need to understand the fact that the foods that are consumed and produced on the agricultural as well as the industrial level have an adverse effect on the environment in many ways. The worse effects on the environment are generated by the red meat as this has the highest intensity of the green house gas emissions as compared to the dairy foods as well as the fruits and vegetables. This leads to an understanding that there is a need to shift the dietary habits from the consumption of the red meat to the use of non red meat protein sources. It can be seen in the case of the life cycle assessments that there are many changes that are needed by the Spanish strawberry growers as well as the UK growers. The transportation in the case of the Spanish growers and retailers needs to be reduced as it has been having a negative effect on the environment as it has been added that the transportation has a major impact on the environment. Although it has been accepted as a fact that the transportation also plays the role in the increase in the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere however the transport emissions only represent the 11% of the green house gas emissions in the environment. When the food is being transported from the production houses to the retailer that is also counted in the transport related emissions and these only represent 4% of the green house gas emissions and an increase in the carbon footprint in the environment. Thereby there is a need to understand that the main impact that has been seen on the environment relates to the transportation, the use of pesticides and the herbicide, as well as the minerals on the farms that have an overall effect on the environment. In order to make sure that the environment is safer and more sustained in the future, the impacts have to be reduced thus the use of pesticides, minerals and fumigation has to be reduced on the farms. References Journal articles Beech, M. 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