Why Food is a Transition Issue
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Peak oil hurts food production because
- agriculture, food processing and transportation all use energy which will become much more expensive
- the food industry accounts for about 14% of energy consumption by UK businesses and 25% of HGV miles travelled
- as energy prices increase biofuels production becomes more economic and competes with food for land
- biofuel production is now blamed as the primary contributor to increasing global food prices in 2008
Global warming (over about 2C) hurts food production because
- lower rainfall in Europe, Australia, southern US and North Africa will reduce yields
- grain production in Australia is already reduced by drought
- more extreme weather becomes more common
- the floods in summer 2007 destroyed many acres of food crops in the UK
- the 2003 heatwave reduced yields across Europe for maize, fruit and grapes by up to 30%
The UK food supply is vulnerable because
- we are heavily dependent on imports
- more than half our food is imported (by value)
- in 2006 the trade gap between imports and exports on food and drink was £14 billion and this has increased by 50% in ten years.
- our local industry is at risk
- there are concerns over soil erosion and nutrient depletion in soil (all over Europe too)
- skills may soon be lost as few young people take to farming - the average (mnedian) age of a farmer in 2005 was 58
We need a more resilient food industry, including
- developing sustainable production techniques
- using less energy intensive fertilisers and other chemicals
- recycling nutrients, for example using compost from household waste
- increasing local production
- reducing transportation costs and vulnerability to changing exchange rates
- lessening our dependent on imports which may be withheld in times of shortage
- diversifying the national production and distribution system so it is more resilient to sudden shocks
What you can do
- Separate your household waste for composting
- Grow food for yourself
- Reduce food waste
- Eat foods that are in season - when they are at their best
- Store left overs to eat later
- Buy locally produced food products
- Avoid over processed and packaged food which wastes energy
- need link to advice page on what this means!
- Change your diet to consume less energy intensive meat and dairy foods
- need link to more info here on energy intensity of different food stuffs