1. Sustainability of Food Systems
Farm
Transport
Process
Market
Jack H Britt, PhD

2. World Distribution of Land and People
51.5% of Land 48.5% of Population
Source:

3. Sustainability of Food Systems: Global View
Major Issues
Land use
Water
GH gases
Pollutants
Food security
Human capital
Other Issues
Population
Type of diet
Food safety
Technology
Cultural

4. Major Issues: Some explanations.
(Each food system needs to address these.)
Major Issues
Land use: deforestation, tillage, erosion
Water: aquifer depletion, salinity, groundwater contamination, eutrophication
GH gases: CO2 (tillage, fuels), methane (rice, manure), N-oxides (nitrogen fertilizers)
Pollutants: fertilizers, chemicals, wastes
Food security: affordability, reserves
Human capital: wages, working conditions

5. World Issues: Food Waste within Food Systems
Source: Jenny Gustavsson, Christel Cederberg & Ulf Sonesson, Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) Gothenburg, Sweden and Robert van Otterdijk & Alexandre Meybeck FAO Rome. Global food losses and waste: Extent, causes and prevention. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS Rome, 2011
World Issues: Food Waste within Food Systems
253 lbs
385 lbs
638 lbs

6. US Farms and Farm Production Characteristics
Transport
Process
Market
Jack H Britt, PhD

7. Non-cultivated Cropland
Changes in land use in the United States U.S. Population Grew 30% During this Period
Source: Dale et al. Ecological Applications 24: , 2011.
-19%
+55%
-2%
No change
+17%
+140%
-8%
Cultivated Cropland
Rangeland
Forest Land
Non-cultivated Cropland
CRP Land
Pasture Land
Developed Land

8. How is the U.S. doing in production and sustainability?
Source: United Nations FAO most recent reports.

9. Fertilizer Use Per Hectare (kg/hectare)

11. Measuring Sustainability of a Food System is Not Simple
Early focus was at the farm level, but…
Worldwide the goal is to feed everyone, so…
Measuring sustainability for food that reaches the consumer encompasses the entire system…
Therefore, measuring sustainability per unit of food at the final market has become a norm.

12. Overview of the Dairy (milk) Sector
as an Example of a Food System Component
Farm
Transport
Process
Market

13. Milk Processing Has Experienced Consolidation Because of Efficiencies of Scale

14. Milk is Processed into Multiple Products
Manufactured Product Final Intermediate Tradable
Fluid milk X
Yogurt X X
Ice cream X
Nonfat dry milk X X X
Butter X X
Dried buttermilk X
Cottage cheese X
American cheese X X
Other cheese X X
Dry whey X X X
Whey protein concentrate 34% X X X
Dried whey permeate (lactose) X X X
Whey protein concentrate 80% X X X
Casein X X X
Caseinates X X
Milk protein concentrate 42% X X X
Milk protein concentrate 56% X X X
Milk protein concentrate 70% X X X
Milk protein concentrate 80% X X X
Other evaporated condensed and dried X X
Cream X
Skim milk X
Ice cream mix X
Fluid whey X
Separated whey X
Whey cream X
Condensed skim milk X
Ultrafiltered skim milk for MPC42 X
Ultrafiltered skim milk for MPC56 X
Ultrafiltered skim milk for MPC70 X
Ultrafiltered skim milk for MPC80 X

15. Input and Output for Complex Farm to Market Dairy Sector
Processing
Direct Sales
Foodmarket
Supermarket
Foodservice
Distribution Center
Input and Output for Complex Farm to Market Dairy Sector
Consumer
Farm
Inputs
1° Outputs
2° Outputs

16. Primary Inputs at Farm Level
Land
Water
Fuels & electricity
Fertilizers
Pesticides, herbicides & fungicides
Seeds & inoculants
Chemicals, lubricants & pharmaceuticals
Plastics & disposables
Wood, paper and fiber products
Rubber and synthetic materials
Labor

17. Primary Outputs at Farm Level
Grains & oilseeds
Fruits, vegetables & nuts
Forages and feeds
Milk & livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, etc)
Fish, shrimp, mollusks
Ornamental & horticultural plants
Herbs, spices, coffees, teas
Timber and biomass
Energy (methane)

18. Farm Secondary Outputs
Secondary Outputs at Farm Level
Farm
Secondary Outputs
Crop residues
Manures
Waste water
Recycled materials
Discarded materials
Spent lubricants & oils
Soil loss (erosion)
Pollutants (water, air, soil)

19. Primary Inputs for Processing
Direct Sales
Primary Inputs
Feedstock materials
Packaging materials
Water
Fuels & electricity
Chemicals, additives & pharmaceuticals
Pesticides, herbicides & fungicides
Plastics & disposables
Wood, paper and fiber products
Canning metals & materials
Rubber and synthetic materials
Labor
Primary Inputs for Processing

20. Primary Outputs for Processing
Direct Sales
Primary Outputs
Packaged consumer products
Bulk wholesale products
Animal feeds and pet foods
Byproduct feeds and food processing ingredients
Byproduct manufacturing materials (hides, cellulose, etc)
Gases (CO2, methane, etc.)
Fuels (ethanol)
Primary Outputs for Processing

21. Secondary Outputs for Processing
Direct Sales
Secondary Outputs
Processing and wash water
Heat
Processing residues
Anaerobic energy (methane)
Recycled materials
Landfill materials
Pollutants (air, water, land)
Secondary Outputs for Processing

22. Food Miles – What do they really mean?
Food System
Food Miles – What do they really mean?
Farm
Transport
Process
Market
Jack H Britt, PhD

23. Relative Cost for Transport by Various Systems
Comparison of costs of “commercial” food system transport relative to costs of systems used by “local” food producers.
Source:
Transaction Cost Case Studies for Six Iowa Food Producers
Year: 2007
Authors: Dr. Clyde K. Walter, Professor of Logistics and Supply Chain Management. College of Business, Iowa State University; Randy Boeckenstedt, Transportation Research Specialist, Center for Transportation Research and Education, Iowa State University; Assisted by: Dr. Craig Chase, Farm Management Specialist, Iowa State University Extension.
Funded by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Project code: M , On the web:

24. Transportation Food Miles and CO2 by Food Type in Canada (2012)
Source: Kissinger, M. International trade related food miles -- the case of Canada. Food Policy 37: (2012) 171–178.

25. Decreasing Transport by 20% Increases Cost to Consumer (up to 25% per gallon of milk)
Actual time from farm to consumer is often shorter with longer transport*
* ..because milk on larger more distant farms is shipped every 8 hours to plants, but milk on small local farms may be shipped only every 48 hours to plants.
Source: Nicholson et al. Food Policy 36 (2011) 300–310

26. US Dairy Industry Performance
Farm
Transport
Process
Market

27. Resources per billion kg of milk
Improvements in on-farm measures of sustainability by the US dairy farms from 1944 to 2007
Source: Capper, J. L., R. A. Cady, and D. E. Bauman The environmental impact of dairy production: 1944 compared with Journal of Animal Science doi: /jas
Item
1944
2007
Change, %
U.S. milk production, billion kg 53 84
+58%
Resources per billion kg of milk
Cows, thousands
415 94
-77%
Feed, billion kg
8.3
1.9
Manure, billion kg
7.9
-76%
Carbon footprint, billion kg CO2
3.7
1.4
-62%

28. US excels in sustainability measures: GHG production by dairy systems across regions of the world
Source: FAO Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Dairy Sector - A Life Cycle Assessment
N America
C & S America
W Europe
E Europe
Russian Fed
N Africa &W Asia
Subsar Africa
South Asia
East Asia
Oceania
World

29. Cost of Producing Milk in California 2011
Source: California Department of Food and Agriculture in Hoard’s Dairyman August 10, 2012