Animals and the Environment - Food and Water Security Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering UN Sustainable Development Goals, global food production trends, land use statistics, New Zealand's agricultural economy, and water security/management concepts.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

A collection of 17 interlinked global goals set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly, designed to be a blueprint for a sustainable future to be achieved by the year 2030.

Food security

Having reliable access to food that is available in sufficient quantities, affordable, and nutritious.

Food insecurity statistics

According to the United Nations, approximately 1.3 billion people (~17.2% of the world's population) lack regular access to nutritious and sufficient food.

Meat and Milk production growth

The world produces more than four times the quantity of meat (340+ million tonnes) and more than double the amount of milk (800 million tonnes) compared to fifty years ago.

Global land use for agriculture

Agriculture uses 50% of the world's habitable land, which equals $51\,\text{million km}^2$.

Livestock land use vs. supply

Livestock (meat and dairy) uses 77% of agricultural land but supplies only 18% of global calories and 37% of global protein.

Peak agricultural land

Estimates suggest global agricultural land use peaked around 2000 (HYDE 3.2 and FAO) or in the 1990s (Taylor and Rising) due to a reduction in global pasture land.

Population growth projections

The global population is projected to grow from ~8 billion in 2023 to 9.9 billion people by 2050.

2050 food production requirement

Global food production will need to increase by ~50% by 2050 to feed the projected population of 9.9 billion people.

Global meat popularity trends

Pig meat is the most popular meat globally, but the production of poultry is increasing most rapidly.

NZ food and fibre sector GDP

Accounted for 10.0 percent of New Zealand’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the year to 31 March 2023.

NZ food and fibre export revenue

Forecasted at $56.9 billion in export revenue for the year to 30 June 2025, accounting for 81.1% of goods exports.

SDG 6

The Sustainable Development Goal dedicated to ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030.

Water security

The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for livelihoods, well-being, development, and ecosystem preservation.

Renewable freshwater resources

The 39% ($43,000\,km^3$ per year) of land precipitation that is converted to surface runoff (rivers and lakes) and groundwater (aquifers).

AQUASTAT

The Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) Global Information System on Water and Agriculture.

Types of water withdrawal

AQUASTAT distinguishes three types: agricultural (irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture), municipal (domestic), and industrial water.

Agricultural water consumption

The largest consumer of water, accounting for ~60-70% of annual global water withdrawals.

Beef water footprint

It takes between $5,000\text{--}20,000\,L$ of water to produce $1\,kg$ of beef.

Chocolate water footprint

Producing $1\,kg$ of chocolate requires approximately $17,000\,L$ of water.

2050 water stress projection

More than 40% of the global population is projected to be living in areas of severe water stress by 2050.

Rainfed agriculture efficiency

Accounts for 80% of global cropland; supplemental irrigation in these systems can double or triple yields for crops like wheat, sorghum, and maize.