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- Gephart, Jessica A., et al.
(författare)
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The 'seafood gap' in the food-water nexus literature-issues surrounding freshwater use in seafood production chains
- 2017
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Ingår i: Advances in Water Resources. - : Elsevier BV. - 0309-1708 .- 1872-9657. ; 110, s. 505-514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Freshwater use for food production is projected to increase substantially in the coming decades with population growth, changing demographics, and shifting diets. Ensuring joint food-water security has prompted efforts to quantify freshwater use for different food products and production methods. However, few analyses quantify freshwater use for seafood production, and those that do use inconsistent water accounting. This inhibits water use comparisons among seafood products or between seafood and agricultural/livestock products. This 'seafood gap' in the food-water nexus literature will become increasingly problematic as seafood consumption is growing globally and aquaculture is one of the fastest growing animal food sectors in the world. Therefore, the present study 1) reviews freshwater use concepts as they relate to seafood production; 2) provides three cases to highlight the particular water use concerns for aquaculture, and; 3) outlines future directions to integrate seafood into the broader food-water nexus discussion. By revisiting water use concepts through a focus on seafood production systems, we highlight the key water use processes that should be considered for seafood production and offer a fresh perspective on the analysis of freshwater use in food systems more broadly. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
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| 2. |
- Gordon, Line J., et al.
(författare)
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Rewiring food systems to enhance human health and biosphere stewardship
- 2017
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 12:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Food lies at the heart of both health and sustainability challenges. We use a social-ecological framework to illustrate how major changes to the volume, nutrition and safety of food systems between 1961 and today impact health and sustainability. These changes have almost halved undernutrition while doubling the proportion who are overweight. They have also resulted in reduced resilience of the biosphere, pushing four out of six analysed planetary boundaries across the safe operating space of the biosphere. Our analysis further illustrates that consumers and producers have become more distant from one another, with substantial power consolidated within a small group of key actors. Solutions include a shift from a volume-focused production system to focus on quality, nutrition, resource use efficiency, and reduced antimicrobial use. To achieve this, we need to rewire food systems in ways that enhance transparency between producers and consumers, mobilize key actors to become biosphere stewards, and re-connect people to the biosphere.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Henriksson, Patrik J. G., et al.
(författare)
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Benchmarking the environmental performance of best management practice and genetic improvements in Egyptian aquaculture using life cycle assessment
- 2017
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Ingår i: Aquaculture. - : Elsevier BV. - 0044-8486 .- 1873-5622. ; 468, s. 53-59
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Egyptian aquaculture is gaining importance as an affordable and nutritious source of animal protein among Egyptians. Nile tilapia dominates production (77% of total production), followed by carps (17%) and mullets (11%). Egyptian tilapia farmers are, however, facing challenges with regards to financial viability and poor water quality. Fish farms are also contributing towards water pollution and other environmental impacts. In order to improve the situation, WorldFish launched the IEIDEAS project in 2011 with the ambition to train farmers in best management practices (BMP) and distribute the 9th generation of the Abbassa strain (G9). The present study aimed at evaluating any relative environmental gains that BMP and G9 offers compared to conventional farming using life cycle assessment (LCA). Inventory data representing 137 farmers and four groups (control, BMP, G9 and BMP + G9) were evaluated. Life cycle impact assessment results including quantitative uncertainties were then calculated and statistically tested, using Monte Carlo analysis and Wilcoxon paired significance test. Five impact categories were explored: global warming, eutrophication, acidification, freshwater consumption and land use. The G9 stain offered the greatest improvements across the evaluated impact categories, significantly reducing environmental impacts with between 12% and 36%. BMP, in the meantime, only offered significant improvements compared to the control with regards to eutrophication, acidification, freshwater consumption and land use. Meanwhile, BMP + G9 performed comparably to only G9 except for eutrophication where it had a significantly larger environmental footprint. More efficient feed utilization and higher productivity were the main reasons for the environmental improvements. Additional improvements that should be explored include improved feeds made of sustainably sourced raw materials, and better pond water management, including probiotics and paddle-wheels.Statement of relevance: BMP and improved stains help reduce environmental impacts
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