Water loss associated with food loss and waste in Brazil

This article aimed to estimate the loss of water associated with food loss and waste in Brazil in 2013. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) on food balance and waste, as well as the Water Footprint (WF) of agricultural products available at Water Footprin...

Full description

Saved in:

Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais (Online) Vol. 56; no. 2; pp. 305 - 317
Main Authors:	Cohim, Eduardo Borges, Leão, Adriano Souza, Silva, Hamilton de Araújo, Santos, Gilmar Souza
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Sanitária e Ambiental 01-06-2021
Subjects:	agriculture food loss green water water footprint water loss
Online Access:	Get full text
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!

Description
Summary:	This article aimed to estimate the loss of water associated with food loss and waste in Brazil in 2013. Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) on food balance and waste, as well as the Water Footprint (WF) of agricultural products available at Water Footprint Network (WFN) were used. Results show that food waste reaches 49 million metric tons per year, compromising a total of 87 billion cubic meters of water, which is higher than the average annual flow of the river São Francisco. Major water loss is associated with the agricultural production stage (32%), followed by consumption (19%). Amongst food groups, major water loss is associated with meat (49%), followed by cereals (19%). Roughly 96% of water loss is attributed to the green water component, which highlights that attention must be paid to rainfed agriculture to ensure food and water for everyone. The loss of blue water was more than half of the volume consumed in the urban sector, and the grey component (polluted water) was equivalent to 80% of this consumption. Measures such as improving agricultural practices, logistics, irrigation, expanding and improving rainfed agriculture, developing campaigns and policies to reduce exportation of primary products, as well as consumption of products from animal origin, can contribute to managing the food supply chain more sustainably when the focus is water. Reducing food loss and waste means preserving water.
ISSN:	2176-9478 1808-4524 2176-9478
DOI:	10.5327/Z21769478885