'More than a quarter of annual food production is wasted'

A quarter of the annual worldwide production of 4 billion tons of food is lost. According to the UN World Food Organization (FAO), about 1.3 billion tons of edible food is wasted. According to the University of Edinburgh, this percentage is even higher and a staggering 44 percent of agricultural production would never be consumed by humans.

"The planet currently has about 7.8 billion inhabitants and each person needs an average of 1.4 kilograms of food," according to a recent study by the British news agency Bloomberg-Green. "This means that approximately 3.7 billion tons of food are needed annually to feed the entire world population." At the same time, large areas of natural areas TP9Tn must be avoided for food production. 

"Developing countries waste as much food as developed countries," the researchers acknowledge. 'Only the form of waste differs. In rich countries, more than 40 percent of losses occur in stores and at consumers' homes. In poorer countries, where households waste much less, more than 40 percent of the losses appear to occur between harvest and delivery. 

Figures from the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri) show that only between 30 percent and 50 percent of possible production is ultimately consumed. It points out, among other things, the wasted potential of poorly used agricultural land that could yield much more per hectare with better techniques and management. It should be possible to achieve an annual food production of 9 billion tons.

 According to United Nations research, 2.2 billion hectares of degraded former agricultural land could be restored through responsible use of fertilizers and irrigation. Some of this reclaimed land would be used for reforestation, but the rest should be able to produce about 500 million tons of food annually, ”said the Bloomberg study.

"Not all edible crops are for food," adds Bloomberg. Nearly 600 million hectares of land are used to grow crops for ethanol, as car fuel. A shift to electric cars could yield agricultural land available for food, which could feed an additional 280 million people. '

'These are, of course, only theoretical calculations. Politics, economics, culture and trade also contribute to the food chain. No agricultural system will ever be optimal. But even with more realistic goals, there is more than enough agricultural area to continue to guarantee the food supply for the growing world population. '