Food Systems and Security

Study Notes

A sustainable food system integrates sustainable food production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste management to enhance environmental, economic, and social health.
The system ensures the environmental, economic, and social aspects are not compromised for future generations.

Food systems critically depend on natural resources: land, soil, fresh water, terrestrial and marine biodiversity, essential nutrients, and fossil fuels.
The use of natural resources goes beyond primary food production and is necessary in all food system processes.

To ensure safe and nutritious food, natural resources need to be managed sustainably and used efficiently while reducing environmental impacts.
Food systems are the largest user of natural resources and a major driver of environmental impacts such as biodiversity loss, soil degradation, water depletion, and greenhouse gas emissions.

A food systems approach considers the entire food chain, including production, processing, distribution, and consumption.
It addresses food security issues, including undernutrition and overconsumption, and promotes more resource-efficient food systems.

Renewable natural resources (land, water, genetic resources, and biodiversity) are used in all food system activities.
Non-renewable natural resources (minerals and fossil fuels) are also used in food systems and have negative environmental impacts.

Resource efficiency in food systems can be measured by increasing food production with the same amount of resources or producing the same amount of food with fewer resources.
Decoupling, reducing food demand, and dietary changes towards less resource-demanding products can achieve higher resource-use efficiency.
A food system is considered more resource-efficient when it achieves more food production with the same amount of resources or produces the same amount of food with fewer resources.

Sustainable food systems consider economic and social dimensions alongside environmental dimensions.
Decoupling, reducing food demand, and dietary changes are key to achieving sustainable food systems.
A food systems approach helps identify and work towards potential synergies between multiple objectives.### Nitrogen Fertilizer Efficiency
The additional crop production of the second application of nitrogen fertilizer will be lower compared to the first step.
Nitrogen efficiency declines with each additional application.
Nitrogen losses to the environment might increase with repeated applications.

Higher inputs of nitrogen typically lead to higher efficiency in land, water, seed input, or labor.
The crop yield might double when nitrogen fertilizer dose goes from 0 to 20 kg per hectare, without additional input of land, water, or labor.
Additional input of phosphorus can make the input of nitrogen more efficient if phosphorus is limiting crop production.

Figure 3 shows a conceptual framework of the interactions between food system activities, natural resources, and food security.
Food system activities can affect natural resources directly (depletion) or indirectly (driving environmental processes like climate change).

The food system concept relates all food system activities to their outcomes, affecting food security, socio-economic issues, and the environment.
A food system encompasses interdependent sets of enterprises, institutions, activities, and relationships that develop and deliver material inputs to the farming sector.
A sustainable food system delivers food security and nutrition for all without compromising the economic, social, and environmental bases for future generations.

Food system activities can lead to unintended environmental effects.
Efficient use of resources and sustainable use of renewable resources are critical to ensure food security for future generations.
Food system actors must consider the combined effects of their activities on the environment to ensure effective and durable environmental and economic co-benefits.