<aside> 📌 Last updated September 18th, 2024

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<aside> ⏱️ This article summarizes the main factors of the environmental impact of different food sectors. Estimated Read Time*: 5 minutes*

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Food sectors each have particularities in production and distribution, thus contributing differently to greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing these emissions requires an understanding of the specific emission sources per sector.

🌾 Grain Crops

Main Impact Factors:

• Nitrogen Fertilizers: Nitrogen fertilization, whether mineral or organic, accounts for of greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of an agricultural raw material until its exit from the field.

  70 to 90%

• Soil Management: Practices such as intensive tillage can release carbon stored in the soil.

• Mechanization: Use of tractors and other motorized equipment results in CO2 emissions.

• Irrigation: Energy consumption for irrigation can contribute to CO2 emissions.

• Transport and Storage

🌱 Legumes do not require nitrogen fertilizers as they perform nitrogen fixation themselves. They therefore contribute to combating soil erosion and depletion and limit greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

🐮 Livestock Sectors

The animal husbandry sector is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, mostly methane and nitrous oxide. Emissions mainly originate from four major sources:

• Animal Feed: The primary source of greenhouse gas emissions in the animal farming sector is the production of animal feed, contributing to 42% of emissions in European livestock. This encompasses emissions associated with dedicated energy crops and feed manufacturing, as well as those resulting from changes in land use. Feeding the animals that nourish us is indeed one of the primary drivers of deforestation, notably in South America. This further exacerbates the carbon footprint of meat.
• Enteric Fermentation: Ruminants such as cows and sheep produce methane (CH4) during digestion. As they digest grass and fodder, bacteria in their stomachs naturally produce methane, which is released into the air through their flatulence. This process of "enteric fermentation" is responsible for 22% of European livestock greenhouse gas emissions.
• Manure Management: Storage and handling of manure result in varying amounts of CH4 and N2O emissions depending on the methods used. These effluent emissions account for 19% of European livestock greenhouse gas emissions.
• Energy Consumption at the Farm Level: Accounts for 17% of emissions. This includes the use of fossil fuels for heating, lighting, and operating equipment.

🥦🍓 Fruits & Vegetables