GHG emissions from pre-and post-production phases of the food supply chain accounted for more than half of the agri-food system total in both Europe and North America
According to a new study led by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the food supply chain is on course to overtake farming and land use as the largest contributor to greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the agri-food system in many countries. This is due to rapid growth driven by food processing, packaging, transport, retail, household consumption, waste disposal and the manufacturing of fertilisers.
Factors unrelated to on-farm activities and land-use changes already account for more than half of the carbon dioxide emissions from agri-food systems in advanced regions and their share has more than doubled over the past three decades in developing countries.
The study authored by FAO senior statistician Francesco Tubiello, builds on a wave of recent efforts to quantify GHG trends to facilitate mitigation measures and alert policymakers to emerging trends.
The new data found that 31 per cent of total anthropogenic GHG emissions, or 16.5 billion tonnes, originate from the world’s agri-food systems, a 17 per cent increase from 1990 when the global population was smaller. The global shares are in line with previous work, indicating a range between 21-37 per cent.
Furthermore, the study found that GHG emissions from pre-and post-production phases of the food supply chain accounted for more than half of the agri-food system total in both Europe and North America, while the figure was below 14 per cent for Africa and South America.
