Production Losses Associated with Food Waste

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Speaker: Ralph Martin Session: Reduction of Waste in the Food System, Municipal and Ministry of Environment Strategies

Education Technology Business

Production Losses Associated
with Food Waste
Ralph C. Martin, Ph.D., P.Ag.
Loblaw Chair, Sustainable Food Production
Tel: 519-824-4120, Ext 52460
Email: rcmartin@uoguelph.ca

Historic yields of major crops in Canada

Plan A for 2050
• 9 - 10 billion people (30 – 40 % increase)
• In developing countries, average incomes rise,
they consume more meat and richer foods
• Thus increase food production by 70 – 100%

3

Population,
Consumption and Waste
• We need 80 billion cal /d for
35,000,000 Canadians.
• If eat 1.2 x need, then must provide 96 billion cal/d
• Furthermore, with carelessness of wasting 40%,
must provide 160 billion cal/d

4

Rockström et al. 2009. www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol14/iss2/art32

White Elephant of N
• About 48% (and rising) of people depend directly
on the Haber-Bosch process for basic food
• Excess N losses to water (NO3) and air (N2O).
• N fertilizer is one-third of global agricultural energy
budget and related GHG emissions

7

Being Prudent with N
- Legumes & cover crops
- Organic Ag
- Human inedible feeds for
livestock
- Effectively recycle MSW, manures and sewage
- Anaerobic digestion to capture both energy and
recycle nutrients, including N
- Reduce food waste
8

Soil Organic Matter (SOM) is good,
good, good
• SOM is added with green manures, brown
manures and crop residues
• SOM helps to bind soil particles into good soil
structure
• SOM matter allows
infiltration
• SOM provides resilience
during droughts, floods
and extreme conditions

Soil Renewal Rate
• To form a 2.5 cm depth of soil (340 t/ha)
requires 200 to 1000 years, a renewal rate of 0.3
to 2 t/ha/yr
• In U.S.A., soil erosion averages 18 t/ha/yr
(Pimental et al. 1987. Bioscience 37:277-283)

• Ontario soils losing
22 t soil/ha/year:
46% in 1981
41% in 2006
(Eilers et al., 2010).

>

Productivity of eroded soil
• Productivity of eroded soils
will decline even if fertilizer is
added (Brady and Weil 2002, Fig 17.8)
or if the eroded soil
is irrigated (Larney
et al. 1995 J. Soil Water
Conserv. 50:87-91)

Ag Energy Ratio:
10 cal input per 1 cal in food
Intern. Energy Agency – “Now on track for
temperature increase of 3.5oC …. Fossil fuels still
receive subsidies of $400 bil/yr plus subsidy of
excluding pollution from pricing.”

e
o
m

“The stone age did
not end because we
ran out of stone”
Michael Jacobs

2 Challenges, Both Transformative and Urgent
www.albertaagrologists.ca/files/conferences/2013%20AIA%20Conference/20
13%20Green%20Paper_Final_Booklet_April2_2013.pdf

1) Adaptation to the effects of climate change
www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg2/en/contents.html

2) Ecosystem function and resilience of agro-ecosystems
www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol14/iss2/art32

Photos by F. Camargo

Attitude of Gratitude
Take moments to be
thankful, especially for
good food.

Appreciate what we
have, treat with care
and share.

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