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Policy Brief: The Case for Energy Smart Food Systems







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    Energy-Smart Food for People and Climate - Issue Paper 2011
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    The aim of this paper is to discuss how the entire food sector, from the farmer’s fi eld to the consumer’s plate, can become more ‘energy-smart’. Becoming energy-smart will require a transformation along the food chain that involves: - relying more on low-carbon energy systems and using energy more effi ciently; - strengthening the role of renewable energy within food systems; - providing greater access to modern energy services for development, and at the same time supporting the achiev ement of national food security and sustainable development goals. This paper provides examples of energy-smart practices for both small-and large-scale enterprises and covers the entire food sector.
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    Opportunities for Agri-Food Chains to become Energy-Smart 2015
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    The world’s agri-food supply chains are being challenged. For several decades, the production, processing and distribution of food have been highly dependent on fossil fuel inputs (the exception being subsistence farmers who use only manual labor and perhaps animal power to produce food for their families that is then usually cooked on inefficient biomass cook-stoves). There has also been an ever growing demand for food as the world population grows, along with the increasing demand for higher p rotein diets. As a result, the agri-food production and processing sector has become a major producer of greenhouse gases (GHGs) This report aims to assist actors along the value chains, policy makers and other stakeholders in the agri-food industry to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels, reduce related greenhouse gas emissions, and become more resilient to possible future climate change impacts. Findings also show that the current dependence on fossil fuel inputs by the agri-food indust ry results in around seven to eight percent of GHG emissions. These emissions can be reduced by both improved energy efficiency along the agri-food chain and the deployment of renewable energy systems to displace fossil fuels. Various co-benefits identified - improved health, time saving, reduced drudgery, water savings, increased productivity, improved soil quality and nutrient values, biodiversity protection, food security, and better livelihoods and quality of life - should be taken into acco unt in any related policy development. As well, potential trade-offs also need to be carefully considered, in particular the use of more packaging materials to increase the shelf life of food products and ensuring that clean energy solutions do not compromise food production and food security. Moreover, what may be a suitable solution for an industrialized corporate farming system may not apply to a small family or subsistence farming systems. The challenge is to meet growing energy demands with low-carbon energy systems and to use the energy efficiently throughout the production, transport, processing, storage and distribution of food that takes into account the diversity of food production conditions.

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