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Seminar on Curbing Food Waste European Parliament, Brussels Saving Water from Field to Fork

Seminar on Curbing Food Waste European Parliament, Brussels Saving Water from Field to Fork October 28, 2010 Jan Lundqvist, professor Chair, Scientific Programme Committee World Water Week in Stockholm www.siwi.org. Issues Food production historically high

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Seminar on Curbing Food Waste European Parliament, Brussels Saving Water from Field to Fork

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  1. Seminar on Curbing Food Waste European Parliament, Brussels Saving Water from Field to Fork October 28, 2010 Jan Lundqvist, professor Chair, Scientific Programme Committee World Water Week in Stockholm www.siwi.org

  2. Issues • Food production historically high • So is undernourishment & overeating • Water for our daily bread & butter • Producing more or wasting less? • Who cares?

  3. Changes in Food Supply, 1961 – 2005 Energy intake requirement: 1,800 – 2,200 kcal/pers, day Between 2007 – 2008, world foodsupplyincreased by 5% (a new record) Parallel with this, the number of undernourishedincreased by 150 million

  4. Dramatic Jump in Undernourishment while Production increased

  5. Demographic and GDP Trends Population UrbanGDP (billion) (billion)($ billion; 2005 ppp) 1800: (T. R. Malthus) < 1 913 (1820) 1900: 1.65 1950: just after WW2 2.5 7,006 2000: 6 3 56,593 (2005) 2050: ~ 9 ~ 6.5 193,318*) *) trend projection Increase: 2000 – 2050 50% 125% 400% Source: GDP trend projection: Hillebrand, E., 2009.

  6. Socio-economic Trends and Food and Water in China Food supply in China, 1961 - 2005 Water footprint Source: Junguo Liu & Hub Savenije

  7. Another 2-3 billion in a generation • withdreams • want/demand/right to sensedevelopment

  8. Perspectives on the Future Sanctioned discourse Alternative/complementary Option Food production to increase by 70% by 2050 World Food Summit, Rome, November 2009. Similar message in World Bank (2008), Norman Borlaug (2002), etc. Better care of agr. produce; storage, transport & marketing - Curb food losses Attention to use & food intake - Reduce food waste Climate change may reduce potential yields in SSA and SA by 30% by 2030 (Lobell et al. 2008 in Science) Temperatureincreasemayreduceyields of corn, soyabeans and cotton by 30 – 46% in the US in a century (Schlenker & Roberts, PNAS, 2009) ”One Country’s Table Scraps, Another Country’s Meal”, NYT, May 18, 2008 112 pounds of food wastage per month for a family of four

  9. Food Security … ” …existswhen all people, at all times, havephysical and economic access to sufficient , safe and nutritious food to meettheirdietaryneeds and foodpreferences for an active and healthy life” RomeDeclaration (FAO, 1996) - Howmuch is ”sufficient”? 1,800 – 2,200 kcal/person, day on average - What to dowhenpreferencesdeviate from ”sufficient”?

  10. Undernourishment & overeating 1,000 million undernourished - numbers increasing? 1,400 million overweight, 400 million obese – numbers increasing (Source: Economist, Dec. 13, 2003; S. Brichieri-Colombi, WWW 2006)

  11. What Food for What Food/Nutrition Security? • Food production: The amount in the field • Food supply: The amount available on the market; production minus losses before market, conversion • Food demand: The amount bought/procured by households, public institutions and other social entities • Food consumption:the intake of food, i.e. the amount of food eaten • Food absorption: the uptake of energy & nutrients in human body • Considerable losses, conversions and wastage along the food chain

  12. Much Food does not reach Market

  13. Losses & Waste at a high Cost Monetary US – estimated US $100 billion annually UK – calculated £12+ billion annually of householdwaste (retailvalue) Water - all foodproducedconsumes water; foodwaste = misuse of water, energy, etc. Green house gas emission – from production throughout the supplychain, incldisposal Income and security

  14. Given: • Scarcity and competition for naturalresources • High energy input agriculture is not replicable • Environmentalimplications of foodproduction • Overeating >>undernourishment • What is a sensible strategy for foodsecurity? • and • Who cares and who pushes the new agenda?

  15. Water bubbles are the real thing: “…we have enjoyed a series of water ‘bubbles’ to support economic growth over the past 50 years or so….. We are now on the verge of water bankruptcy in many places with no way of paying the debt back”. World Economic Forum, January 2009

  16. Climate: Significant Uncertainty and Risk Variability of rainfall – Beira, 1908 to 2009 Source: JeanMarcFaures, FAO The 7 lean and the 7 fat years – Zimbabwe, 1910 - 2000

  17. Political will & political skill adequate? “We know exactly what needs to be done, but we do not know how to be re-elected once we have done what needs to be done” EU politician Jean Claude Juncker What about social acceptance?

  18. Another Perception and Policy a Generation or two ago WRAP study (UK): HHsthrowawayabout 25% of the foodthey havebought, 60% of which is ”perfectlyfit for consumption” Swedish schoolchildrenthrowawaymore of the foodthey like

  19. Water productivity improvements? Reduce post-harvest losses? Better seeds, fertilizers? Biotechnologies? Trade? Contract farming? Diet “adjustments”? Resource prudent lifestyle? Where is the road ahead? Photo: J. Lundqvist

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