Introducing the Energy-Agriculture Nexus

Background

The United Nations projects a world population of 9.7 billion by 2050. As a result, the world will have to feed 2.5 billion more people than today. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that by 2050 current food production needs to rise by 70 percent to satisfy the expanding demand. Given the planetary boundaries, especially limited energy and water resources, meeting this target is one of the century’s biggest challenges. At the same time, increased demand for processed food, meat, dairy, and fish adds further pressure to the food supply system, and growing impacts of climate change pose a further constraint.

The following article aims to provide you with basic knowledge on the Energy-Agriculture Nexus. You also can check out the introduction video on the Energy-Agriculture Nexus by the Partners of the "Powering Agriculture: An Energy Grand Challenge for Development" (PAEGC) initiative:

The Energy-Agriculture Challenge

The Water-Energy-Food Nexus

The interdependency of water, energy and food is of concern. Food production requires water and energy throughout the agri-food sector. Energy production requires water and a substantial amount of biomass which needs to be produced using soils, water and nutrients. About 30 percent of global energy usage can be traced back to the food sector. This includes supply industry, agricultural production, processing, transport, merchandising and consumption. Agricultural primary production alone accounts for 20 percent, along with food processing (including transport), amounting to 40 percent. The agricultural and food sector thus contributes significantly to global energy consumption along the agricultural value chains. Agriculture is currently the number one consumer of water resources, accounting for 70 percent of all freshwater use. Water is required for food production, processing, transport and preparation. Energy production processes use another 15 percent of global freshwater withdrawals. Energy, on the other hand, is a basic requirement for the withdrawal / pumping, distribution and treatment of water. The interdependency between the sectors has become more and more evident, as the international debate progresses since the Bonn 2011 nexus conference.

Population Growth and Food Production

Why energy and agriculture? In the 1960s, the ‘green revolution’ offset the looming food disaster. Its success was based on improved plant breeding, intensification due to irrigation, increasing usage of inorganic fertilizer and energy inputs along the food chain. From farm mechanization, chemical fertilizers and pesticides to processing, cooling and packaging, fossil fuels made a significant contribution to this success. Such resources will not be available a cheap prices forever – all the more reason to start looking for alternatives. As the human population continues to grow, so does the demand for food. However, a simple repetition of the green revolution to meet the increasing demand is highly unlikely. Fossil fuels are being increasingly exploited. We now know that this is happening at the cost of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In addition, the continuing dependency on fossil fuels in the agri-food sector creates a high risk of fluctuating prices, potentially making food unaffordable for the economically weak – at least temporarily. The supply of fertile arable land is finite and therefore increased demand for food also puts pressure on the planet’s limited resource base. For example, irrigated land produces double or triple the outcome compared to rain-fed systems and accounts for 40 percent of the global cereal supply. The answer could just be to call for more irrigated land, but it may not be as simple as that. To identify effective changes, stakeholders will have to look at different aspects and segments along the agri-food value chains. For instance, approximately 40 percent of the global land area is classified as agricultural land with only very limited opportunities for expansion. The FAO estimates that globally every year 25,000 million tonnes of topsoil are washed away by water erosion. Not only is the area available for food production limited but its suitability for production is being continuously eroded. There is an urgent need for solutions. Cultivation methods that make efficient use of resources are a major step forward.

Agricultural Production and Value Chains

One conclusion to draw from the above analysis is that the agrifood sector must become more efficient to feed more people. This can be achieved either through energy efficiency measures or through the application of renewable energy. In any case, changes need to include the entire agricultural value chain as shown in Figure 1. This includes: the input provider, the farmers, the processors, the packagers, the distributors and retailers. Efficiency gains can be made in agricultural processing by decreasing energy input and use, as well as by reducing food losses before, during and after processing. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 20 percent of harvests are lost, which comes at an annual cost of US $4bn . Losses often occur due to nonexistent, inadequate and/or interrupted energy inputs during storage or transportation and in markets.

[Figure 1 Agricultural value chains (Sims et al., 2015).]

However, reducing waste is not only a matter of energy: reducing waste is first and foremost about behaviour. By joining forces, civil society, private sector and government in high-GDP countries can reduce waste in the retail and consumption sector.

References

• Reader of the MOOC "Powering Agriculture - Sustainable Energy for Food"