Emissions from global agriculture bigger than thought

Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper ran an article this week suggesting that (un-named) ‘experts’ were claiming British shops should sell New Zealand lamb because British farming methods produce twice as much greenhouse gas.

The item, which has been picked up and run in various New Zealand papers, was based around a newly released United Nations Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) analysis Climate Change and Food Systems. Taking a closer look it’s clear that the comprehensive study itself didn’t actually say that but it was an interesting read, presenting for the first time the GHG footprint for the global food industry and showing that global agriculture is a much larger contributor to climate change than previously thought.

The analysis, which was recently published in the 2012 Annual Review of Environment and Resources presents figures showing that feeding the world released up to 17,000 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2008, contributing up to 29 percent of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. But while the emissions ‘footprint’ needs to be reduced, a companion policy brief by CGIAR’s research programme on climate change, agriculture and food security (CCAFS) – Recalibrating Food Production – lays out how climate change will require a complete calibration of where specific crops are grown and livestock raised.

Together, the two reports “shed new light on the intertwining evolutions of climate change and the world’s food system and their potential impact on humanity’s relationship with food,” says CGIAR.

Climate change mitigation and adaptation are critical priorities, according to Bruce Campbell, CCAFS’ programme director. “Farmers around the world, especially smallholder farmers in developing countries, need access to the latest science, more resources and advanced technology. This research services as an urgent call for negotiators at the upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Doha.”

CGIAR Consortium chief executive Frank Rijsberman says: “We are coming to terms with the fact that agriculture is a critical player in climate change. Not only are emissions from agriculture much larger than previously estimated, but with weather records being set every month as regional climates adjust and reset, there is an urgent need for research that helps smallholder farmers adapt to the new normal.”

Climate Change and Food Systems assesses the entire food system’s emissions ‘footprint’ – in total somewhere between a fifth and a third of the greenhouse gases emitted by people on this planet. “This figure accounts for every aspect of food production and distribution – including growing crops and raising livestock, manufacturing fertiliser and storing, transporting and refrigerating food. Agriculture accounts for around 80 percent of these emissions, but the combined contribution of transport, refrigeration, consumer practices and waste management is growing,” according to CGIAR.

“The food-related emissions and, conversely, the impacts of climate change on agriculture and the food system, will profoundly alter the way we grow and produce food. This will affect different parts of the world in radically different ways, but all regions will have to change their current approach to what they grow and eat,” says Sonja Vermeulen, the head of research at CCAFS and the lead author of the study.

Delving deeper

Climate Change and Food Systems adds the figures across the aggregate global food chain, and assuming a growth in emissions of three percent a year, gives the total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for 2008 in the range of 9,800 to 16,900 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) from the food system, inclusive of indirect emissions associated with land-cover change. “Thus the food system contributes 19-29 percent of total global anthropogenic GHG emissions … Of this, agricultural production, contributes 80-86 percent at the global level, while the remainder comes from pre-production (predominantly fertiliser manufacture) and the post-production activities of processing, packaging, refrigeration, transport, retail, catering, domestic food management and waste disposal (landfills).”

Reflecting findings from New Zealand’s own 2010 GHG footprint for lamb, where 80 percent of emissions were also found to be from on-farm, the study notes that packaging for both vegetables and meat “is of minor importance in terms of total food emissions.” Transport “makes a large direct contribution” – for example, of the 19MtCO2e produced transporting food around Britain in 2002, 10Mt were emitted in the UK, all from road transport. An interesting estimate from a US researcher is that the same amount of fuel “can transport five kg of food only one km by car, 43 km by air, 740 km by truck, 2,400 km by rail and 3,800 by sea”. So, if that is correct, transporting the five kg of food 3.15 kms by car is the equivalent of a 12,000 km journey by sea, in terms of fuel used. For New Zealand lamb, transport accounts for five percent of the product footprint.

Refrigeration is noted to be the “major energy-intensive component of the food chain”. Limited data brought together by the study suggests that it accounts for one percent of total global GHG emissions and another researcher has estimated it accounts for 15 percent of electricity use worldwide. Food waste also contributes to GHG emissions directly through methane emissions from landfills and handling the waste to get it to landfill.

New Zealand: lead role

New Zealand has been taking a lead role on the world stage in tackling agricultural emissions. The Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRC), was established in 2002 and the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC) opened in 2010. The latter recently released its highlights for 2012 detailing progress made in research focusing on mitigation of methane and nitrous oxide emissions, in understanding soil carbon and in developing integrated systems. The work on the GHG footprint for New Zealand beef was also recently released and will be covered in the forthcoming Food New Zealand magazine (December/January 2012) and included in this blog.

 

Greener pastures

New Zealand has the potential to capture $1.3 trillion more in agricultural exports between now and 2050 if targeted actions are taken, according to a new report recently released by ANZ.

An ANZ Insight report Greener Pastures: The Global Soft Commodity Opportunity for Australia and New Zealand quantifies the size of the opportunity open to New Zealand and Australian agriculture as a result of the shift in global economic growth to Asia.

Key findings from the report are that rising incomes and changing diets in developing countries mean the world will demand at least 60 percent more agricultural output by 2050, compared with 2005-2007. New Zealand could stand to gain an additional $550 million, which could increase to $1.3 trillion with favourable conditions and targeted actions, the report says. However, intense competition from emerging players with countries like Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia becoming major threats. It also determines that $340 million in additional capital is needed to drive production growth and support NZ farm turnover between now and 2050.

Capturing the opportunities offered to the potential “food bowl of Asia” will not happen of its own accord, says Graham Turley ANZ’s managing director commercial and agriculture. “Significant barriers exist that will have to be overcome at every step of the supply chain.”

Sourcing capital to find growth, attracting skilled labour, intensified focus on national agricultural R&D, improving supply chains and targeting key markets are among those barriers.

“The danger we face is that we are not alone in seeking to exploit the global soft commodity boom and countries, like Brazil with its highly successful soy industry, are leading the charge.”

“If we are serious about wanting to develop vibrant, globally dominant and highly profitable industries, we need all stakeholders in the industry to work together to bring about change.

“There are environmental issues and foreign and domestic investment comfort levels that New Zealanders also need to consider in making these choices. These are the choices facing policy makers as they strive to make New Zealand more economically successful,” says Turley.

 

 

Primary growth coupled with energy efficiencies

Growth in the primary sector has been coupled with energy efficiencies, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Data from SNZ’s latest Energy Use Survey shows that overall energy use by the primary sector was almost 35,000 terajoules (TJ) in 2011 and one-third of businesses had energy saving technologies. Total energy use in this sector stayed steady in the last three years, while the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product rose nine percent.

The total energy used in the sector equates to enough diesel to make two million trips from Cape Reinga to Bluff in a medium-sized diesel car. “While this sounds like a lot, the primary sector actually uses a relatively small proportion of New Zealand’s total energy. It makes up less than 10 percent of total business energy use,” energy statistics manager Hamish Hill said.

Agriculture, the biggest industry in this sector, uses almost half the total energy. Diesel and electricity remain the main energy types. “Diesel is integral to our production of timber, livestock, and crops. This contrasts with the industrial and trade sector, which is more reliant on natural gas and other energy types, such as coal.”

This is the second time that energy use data has been collected for the primary sector. The New Zealand Energy Use Survey covers each of the primary, industrial and trade, and services sectors over a three-year period.

Games legacy, global campaign against hunger starts

British Prime Minister David Cameron with Michel Temer, Vice-President of Brazil, Football legend Pele (left) and Olympic double gold medallist Mo Farah (right) at the Olympic hunger summit in Downing Street, 12 August 2012. Photo: Foreign & Commonwealth Office (some rights reserved).

A more serious tone is emerging post-Games, with Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron and Brazilian Vice-President Michael Temer taking the opportunity to put the spotlight on helping millions of children suffering from malnutrition in the the world’s poorest countries.

Olympic double gold medallist Mo Farah, Olympic great Haile Gebrselassie and football legend Pele, who have all campaigned to end the cycle of hunger and poverty by tackling their root causes, joined the leaders, along with others including non-governmental organisations and private sector, at Number 10 Downing Street last Sunday – the closing day of the Games – to highlight a push to tackle global hunger ahead of the next Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Long term exposure to a poor and inadequate diet and repeated infections have left 170 million children in the world suffering from stunting – a condition which stops children from fulfilling  their potential because their bodies do not grow and develop properly. The United Nation’s World Health Assembly recently agreed a new global target of a 40 percent reduction in the number of stunted children by 2025.

The ‘hunger summit’ has been inspired by a declaration by the G8 at its last summit in the US in May, where President Barack Obama announced the creation of a new alliance on food security with African leaders and the private sector as part of an effort to lift 50 million people out of poverty over the next decade. Alongside three initiatives announced by the UK at the London summit. other initiatives are underway by India, the EU, the World Food Programme and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation to make an impact on global levels of undernutrition, according to Downing Street. The UK will take up G8 chairmanship from next year.

An article in The Guardian newspaper says that the initiative has received ‘cautious welcome’. Campaigners argue that while control rests with the larger companies, it takes away the power of small farmers to feed their people.

The article quotes the Gates’ Foundation head of agriculture, Sam Dryden, who attended the summit, acknowledging the pressure of large corporations – as well as agricultural subsidies in the West – in squeezing out smallholder farmers in Africa.

“Agriculture is a local experience, eating is a local experience,” he is quoted as saying. “It is important that African countries develop their own systems and that smallholder farmers grow the crops they want to grow.”

 

 

Livestock tracing scheme live

David Carter, NZ Primary Industries MinisterIt’s happened at last. Today’s the day when New Zealand’s new National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) scheme goes live, which will be welcome news for meat exporters.

The new National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) Act, which comes into effect today, sets out the legal framework for the collection of information on livestock, their location and movement history throughout their lifetime. It also outlines the governance arrangement and powers for the NAIT organisation.

The scheme is mandatory for cattle from 1 July 2012 and for deer on 1 March 2013.

Under the NAIT scheme, cattle and deer are tagged with an electronic NAIT-approved RFID ear tag and the NAIT database stores information about each animal’s individual RFID number, its location and the contact details of the person in charge of the animal.

Announcing the news, Primary Industries Minister David Carter says: “NAIT is an important partnership between industry and the Crown which began eight years ago in recognition of the growing need for better animal identification and tracing systems.”

The Minister is delighted that over 30,000 producers and their properties are already registered on the database, which he says is a significant step in protecting New Zealand’s farmers in the international marketplace.

“Lifetime animal traceability is an asset that New Zealand can leverage as part of its international reputation for producing food to the highest standards. It is also an opportunity for farmers to increase productivity by identifying superior animals.”

In the case of a biosecurity outbreak affecting livestock, NAIT will enable a quick and efficient response reducing the impact on the agriculture sector and the entire NZ economy.