Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Eco-Economy Update 2005-4
For Immediate Release May 9, 2005 

OIL AND FOOD: A RISING SECURITY CHALLENGE
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2005/Update48.htm
Danielle Murray 

>From farm to plate, the modern food system relies heavily on cheap oil.
Threats to our oil supply are also threats to our food supply. As food
undergoes more processing and travels farther, the food system consumes
ever more energy each year.

The U.S. food system uses over 10 quadrillion Btu (10,551 quadrillion
Joules) of energy each year, as much as France's total annual energy
consumption. Growing food accounts for only one fifth of this. The other
four fifths is used to move, process, package, sell, and store food after
it leaves the farm. Some 28 percent of energy used in agriculture goes to
fertilizer manufacturing, 7 percent goes to irrigation, and 34 percent is
consumed as diesel and gasoline by farm vehicles used to plant, till, and
harvest crops. The rest goes to pesticide production, grain drying, and
facility operations. (See data at
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2005/Update48_data.htm
<http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2005/Update48_data.htm.>  )

The past half-century has witnessed a tripling in world grain
production-from 631 million tons in 1950 to 2,029 million tons in 2004.
While 80 percent of the increase is due to population growth raising
demand, the remainder can be attributed to more people eating higher up
the food chain, increasing per capita grain consumption by 24 percent. New
grain demand has been met primarily by raising land productivity through
higher-yielding crop varieties in conjunction with more oil-intensive
mechanization, irrigation, and fertilizer use, rather than by expanding
cropland. 

Crop production now relies on fertilizers to replace soil nutrients, and
therefore on the oil needed to mine, manufacture, and transport these
fertilizers around the world. Rock deposits in the United States, Morocco,
China, and Russia meet two thirds of world phosphate demand, while Canada,
Russia, and Belarus account for half of potash mine production. Nitrogen
fertilizer production, which relies heavily on natural gas to synthesize
atmospheric nitrogen, is much more widely dispersed.

World fertilizer use has increased dramatically since the 1950s. China is
now the top consumer with use rising beyond 40 million tons in 2004.
Fertilizer use has leveled off in the United States, staying near 19
million tons per year since 1984. India's use also has stabilized at
around 16 million tons per year since 1998. More energy-efficient
fertilizer production technology and precision monitoring of soil nutrient
needs have cut the amount of energy needed to fertilize crops, but there
is still more room for improvement. As oil prices increase and the price
of fertilizer rises, there will be a premium on closing the nutrient cycle
and replacing synthetic fertilizer with organic waste.

The use of mechanical pumps to irrigate crops has allowed farms to prosper
in the middle of the desert. It also has increased farm energy use,
allowed larger water withdrawals, and contributed to aquifer depletion
worldwide. As water tables drop, ever more powerful pumps must be used,
perpetuating and increasing the oil requirements for irrigation.
More-efficient irrigation systems, such as low-pressure and drip
irrigation, and precision soil moisture testing could reduce agricultural
water and energy needs. But in many countries, government subsidies keep
water artificially cheap and readily available.

Countering the historical trend toward more energy-intensive farm
mechanization has been the adoption of conservation tillage
methods-leaving crop residues on the ground to minimize wind and water
erosion and soil moisture loss. Soil quality is improved through this
technique, while farm fuel use and irrigation needs are lowered. Zero-till
farming is practiced on 90 million hectares worldwide, over half of which
are in the United States and Brazil. Reduced tillage is now used on 41
percent of U.S. cropland.

Although agriculture is finding ways to use less energy, the amount
consumed between the farm gate and the kitchen table continues to rise.
While 21 percent of overall food system energy is used in agricultural
production, another 14 percent goes to food transport, 16 percent to
processing, 7 percent to packaging, 4 percent to food retailing, 7 percent
to restaurants and caterers, and 32 percent to home refrigeration and
preparation. 

Food today travels farther than ever, with fruits and vegetables in
western industrial countries often logging 2,500-4,000 kilometers from
farm to store. Increasingly open world markets combined with low fuel
prices allow the import of fresh produce year-round, regardless of season
or location. But as food travels farther, energy use soars. Trucking
accounts for the majority of food transport, though it is nearly 10 times
more energy-intensive than moving goods by rail or barge. Refrigerated
jumbo jets-60 times more energy-intensive than sea transport-constitute a
small but growing sector of food transport, helping supply northern
hemisphere markets with fresh produce from places like Chile, South
Africa, and New Zealand.

Processed foods now make up three-fourths of total world food sales. One
pound (0.45 kilograms) of frozen fruits or vegetables requires 825
kilocalories of energy for processing and 559 kilocalories for packaging,
plus energy for refrigeration during transport, at the store, and in
homes. Processing a one-pound can of fruits or vegetables takes an average
261 kilocalories, and packaging adds 1,006 kilocalories, thanks to the
high energy intensity of mining and manufacturing steel. Processing
breakfast cereals requires 7,125 kilocalories per pound-easily five times
as much energy as is contained in the cereal itself.

Most fresh produce and minimally processed grains, legumes, and sugars
require very little packaging, particularly if bought in bulk. Processed
foods, on the other hand, are often individually wrapped, bagged and
boxed, or similarly overpackaged. This flashy packaging requires large
amounts of energy and raw materials to produce, yet almost all of it ends
up in our landfills.

Food retail operations, such as supermarkets and restaurants, require
massive amounts of energy for refrigeration and food preparation. The
replacement of neighborhood shops by "super" stores means consumers must
drive farther to buy their food and rely more heavily on refrigeration to
store food between shopping trips. Due to their preference for large
contracts and homogenous supply, most grocery chains are reluctant to buy
from local or small farms. Instead, food is shipped from distant
large-scale farms and distributors-adding again to transport, packaging,
and refrigeration energy needs.

Rather than propping up fossil-fuel-intensive, long-distance food systems
through oil, irrigation, and transport subsidies, governments could
promote sustainable agriculture, locally grown foods, and energy-efficient
transportation. Incentives to use environmentally friendly farming methods
such as conservation tillage, organic fertilizer application, and
integrated pest management could reduce farm energy use significantly.
Rebate programs for energy-efficient appliances and machinery for homes,
retail establishments, processors, and farms would cut energy use
throughout the food system. Legislation to minimize unnecessary packaging
and promote recycling would decrease energy use and waste going to
landfills. 

Direct farmer-to-consumer marketing, such as farmers' markets, bypasses
centralized distribution systems, cutting out unnecessary food travel and
reducing packaging needs while improving local food security. Farmers'
markets are expanding across the United States, growing from 1,755 markets
in 1993 to 3,100 in 2002, but still represent only 0.3 percent of food
sales. 

The biggest political action individuals take each day is deciding what to
buy and eat. Preferentially buying local foods that are in season can cut
transport and farm energy use and can improve food safety and security.
Buying fewer processed, heavily packaged, and frozen foods can cut energy
use and marketing costs, and using smaller refrigerators can slash
household electricity bills. Eating lower on the food chain can reduce
pressure on land, water, and energy supplies.

Fossil fuel reliance may prove to be the Achilles heel of the modern food
system. Oil supply fluctuations and disruptions could send food prices
soaring overnight. Competition and conflict could quickly escalate.
Decoupling the food system from the oil industry is key to improving food
security. 

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Additional data and information sources at www.earth-policy.org or contact
dmurray@earth-policy.org