Natural Resources – Food Nexus: Food-Related Environmental Footprints in the Mediterranean Countries

Abstract

Immediate action is required in the Mediterranean to address environmental degradation that is mainly driven by consumption patterns. Increasing stress on biological and social systems is put by unsustainable consumption patterns. Food consumption patterns are important drivers of environment degradation. The objective of this review paper is to explore natural resources-food nexus in the Mediterranean region by highlighting the environmental footprints of the current consumption and production patterns. Secondary data from different sources such as FAOSTAT, the World Bank, Water Footprint Network (WFN), and Global Footprint Network were used to analyze the situation in 21 Mediterranean countries. The region faces many environmental challenges, e.g., land degradation, water scarcity, environment pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. The current consumption patterns imply high ecological, carbon, and water footprints of consumption and unfavorable national virtual-water balances. Food Balance Sheets data show that the contribution of vegetal and animal-based food product groups to food supply is variable among the Mediterranean countries. This has implications also in terms of the WF of food supply, which was calculated for Bosnia, Egypt, Italy, Morocco, and Turkey. The WF of the current diet resulted lower than that of the proposed Mediterranean one in the case of Italy. There is a strong scientific evidence supporting assumption that it is so also for other Mediterranean countries. The Mediterranean is characterized by a high resource use intensity that is further exacerbated by food losses and waste (FLW). In fact, FLW implies the loss of precious resources (water, land, energy) and inputs (fertilizers). Therefore, it is crucial to increase adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet and to reduce FLW in order to foster transition to more sustainable food consumption patterns thus reducing pressure on the scarce resources of the Mediterranean region.

The Mediterranean Diet: From an Environment-Driven Food Culture to an Emerging Medical Prescription

“…Global climate changes also have an echo in the Mediterranean Basin, as they induce not only water scarcity and land degradation, but also failure of crops, fisheries, and livestock productions. Last but not least, the biodiversity of species in the Mediterranean regions (previously some of the richest in the world) is continuously declining and a tendency towards monocultures and standardized cultivation practices can be observed, with a negative impact on local food production [7,100].…”

Mediterranean diet: a nutrient‐packed diet and a healthy lifestyle for a sustainable world

“…Moreover, livestock consume around two‐thirds of all the land dedicated to agriculture and contribute about half of the farming‐related GHG emissions 1,37–40 . In general, the environmental impact of food systems is calculated on the basis of three indexes: carbon, water and ecological footprint 9,11,29,41 …”

“…Globally, over 800 million individuals remain undernourished and do not have enough to eat; while the poor starve, the rich gorge: approximately 2 billion people are overweight or obese but suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. The United Nations Decade of Action on Nutrition (2016–2025), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO) and other organizations recommend initiatives for sustainable food systems that promote healthy diets, and all are in line with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1–9 …”

Exploring Household Food Waste Issue in Algeria

“…Nevertheless, its reduction is nowadays considered as a key factor to improve the sustainability of the Mediterranean food system and achieve food and nutrition security in the region (UNEP/MAP, 2015). In the Mediterranean area, food systems are confronted to major sustainability challenges related to food consumption and production patterns (Lacirignola et al, 2014;Capone et al, 2014;CIHEAM and FAO, 2015). In fact, food insecurity and malnutrition are still present in some countries of the area.…”