Global human-edible nutrient supplies, their sources, and correlations with agricultural environmental impact

Abstract

Food production, sustainable development, population growth, and agricultural environmental impacts are linked global problems that require complex solutions. Many efforts evaluating these challenges primarily evaluate dietary strategies designed for health and environmental objectives without considering the subsequent adaptations required by the global food supply. Here we use a complementary approach to summarize trends and variability in the current agricultural system in the context of the growing population and impending environmental challenges. Globally, agricultural systems produce sufficient nutrients to feed 10 billion people with the exception of Ca, DHA + EPA, vitamins B4, D, and E. In a network analysis, greenhouse gas emissions were conditionally dependent on ruminant meat and milk, while water use was conditionally dependent on vegetable and fruit production; however, supplies of most nutrients were also dependent on these same production categories, suggesting trade-offs between nutritional and environmental objectives. Future work should evaluate strategies to address these compromises (i.e., improving water use efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions), to explore to what extent such compromises are biophysically essential or merely a product of the current agricultural system structures. Given the time-sensitive nature of population growth and environmental concerns, strategies to make more effective use of currently produced agricultural products will also be critical complementary strategies to sustainably feed the growing population which can work in concert with other agricultural-, diet- and policy-focused efforts.

The MED_EAT-IT approach: A modelling study to develop feasible, sustainable and nutritionally targeted dietary patterns based on the Planetary health diet

“…Food systems are currently considered unsustainable due to the large extent of natural resources consumed (e.g., land and freshwater use) and the resulting outputs (e.g., greenhouse gases emission, nitrogen, and phosphorus pollution) against high levels of food waste, the co-existence of malnutrition and overweight/obesity burden, and chronic diseases related to the latter ( GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators, 2019 ; Herforth et al, 2022 ; FAO, 2022 ). Despite overall reduction in per capita levels, the environmental impact associated with food systems increased in absolute numbers in the last decades along with food production demands and population growth, urbanization, growing wealth, changing consumption patterns and globalization ( Crippa et al, 2021 ; de Bruin et al, 2021 ; Dernini and Berry, 2015 ; Satterthwaite et al, 2010 ; Sharma et al, 2018 ; FAO, 2022 ; Tubiello et al, 2021 ; White and Gleason, 2022 ). However, food production will need to further increase, given that the global world population reached the number of 8 billion individuals in 2022, and is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050 ( Finley et al, 2017 , United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2022 ; van Dijk et al, 2021 ).…”

Beyond Borders: A Review of Food Market Integration and Sustaiable Develomnet Goals

“…Sustainably feeding a growing population requires more than simple dietary changes (White & Gleason, 2022). Market dynamics and integration are critical to any food system, to meeting the demands of a burgeoning population, and to improving food security (Adekambi et al, 2019).…”

Food product quality, environmental and personal characteristics affecting consumer perception toward food

“…This demand will be further exacerbated by an additional 71% increase in population by 2050. The high population growth is inevitably leading toward Malthusian crisis (Cole et al, 2018;White and Gleason, 2022). While the increase in population challenges the harmony of food security, current scientific and technological advances in agriculture and food science have contributed to meeting the demand (Cole et al, 2018).…”