Sustainability in Food Production

This essay assesses sustainability concerns in food production in Australia and explores various responses to achieve sustainability. It discusses the environmental, social, and economic impacts of food production and highlights the need for sustainable agricultural practices, responsible food processing, and efficient use of resources.

Running Head: FOOD PRODUCTION
Sustainability in Food Production
Name
Institutional affiliation

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FOOD PRODUCTION
This essay seeks to assess the major sustainability concerns from an economic social, and
environmental point of view and various responses to the concern which could assist in attaining
sustainability. The selected scenario for this essay is food production in Australia. Sustainable
food production in Australia involves attaining the textile and food requirements in the country
without affecting the capability of the next generation to fulfil their own need. There is a
growing concern about the consistency and future of food production in the country and
organizations such as Australian Conservation Foundation (ACT) calls for strong effective action
and leadership from industry and government to ensure sustainable food production (Lee, 2013).
Sustainability can be defined as the process of maintaining change in a balanced environment, in
which institutional change, orientation of technological development, investment direction, and
exploitation of resources are all in harmony and promote both future and present potential to
attain human aspirations and needs (Wood, 2011). The history of sustainability can be traced
during the period of Western industrial revolution of between 18th and 19th century which led to
growth energy potential. By mid-20th century, environmental movements indicated numerous
environmental costs related to the material benefits which are currently being used.
The life cycle of food products entails disposal, use, distribution, packaging, manufacturing, and
agriculture. Agricultural activities are the largest source of environmental impacts from beverage
and food and are approximated to be responsible for about a third of the greenhouse gas
emissions induced by humans (Bielek, 2018). As the Australian population increases, the
demand for food increases resulting in pressure on land resources. Presently, the increased land
degradation in some sections of the country may be connected with unsustainably agriculture
activities. It is approximated that 70% of stream and rivers pollution in Australia is as a result of

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agricultural silts and chemicals (Whittinghill, Rowe, & Cregg, 2013). These chemical affect
organisms in the soil and in some cases cause negative effects on humans when consumed.
The major component of chemical fertilizers is phosphate and is involved in the improvement of
crop yields and soil fertility. Phosphorus is involved in primary processes of metabolism such as
respiration, macromolecular biosynthesis, signal transduction, energy transfer, and
photosynthesis. The long-term use of phosphorus in the soil during crop production results in
depleting of soil fertility and eutrophication (Chisti, 2010). Therefore, the excessive use of
agricultural chemicals affects the environment through pollution of the soil and death of aquatic
life, and also result in advanced health-related complications hence affecting the human
population and workforces in the country.
With the greater part of population suffering from health-related issues, the population will be
reduced resulting in dependency and the economy will be affected when the workforce and
employees fail to effectively perform their duties. Soil erosion is also becoming one of the severe
issues in Australia. Experts predict that the agricultural yield will be halved within 30 to 50 years
in case erosion continues at the current rate (Masuda & Yamamoto, 2013). These impacts related
to agricultural production can be reduced by focusing on the responsible way of cultivation. The
government is currently spending a lot of capital to control the health-related issues such as
cancer. Additionally, agricultural activities are the largest users of water globally and only 45%
of the water for irrigation is used effectively (Bielek, 2018).
In some regions in the country, there is the availability of rainfall from crop cultivation, but
many regions need irrigation. The wastage of water has greatly reduced water supply to the
industrial sectors and for domestic purposes. This is the reason why some parts of Australia have
an inadequate supply of water for domestic use since large quantity is being wastage in

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agriculture. Inadequate supply of water in industrial sectors negatively affects the economy
through low production of goods and services and also poor hygiene and diseases in residential
areas (Mengual, Orsini, & Gianquinto, 2018).
Agricultural practices that may result in long-term damage to soil include excessive tilling of the
soil resulting in depletion of the nutrients in the soil and even soil erosion. The use of fertilizers
to improve the productivity of the soil negatively affect the properties of the soil and in the long
run, the soil will completely depend on the fertilizers. With seasonal planting and harvesting of
food crops, the nutrients in the soil are removed (Saltiel, Bauder, & Palakovich, 2010). The land
is expected to suffer from depletion of nutrients and suffers from reduced yield or unusable in
case the nutrients are not replenished. The microorganisms in the soil will be destroyed and the
land will require more capital to cultivate.
The processing of food products are generally the second largest source of advanced
environmental impacts from beverage and food products and is normally the section in which the
food industry has dedicated its efforts towards sustainability. The processing of food products
involves 25% of the consumption of water in Australia and between 50% and 80% of all the
water consumed in the industrial sector (Azzurra, Massimiliano, & Angela, 2019). Additionally,
it is approximated that 7% of the water in the industrial section is wasted during food processing.
The packaging of food products assist in delivering safe food and has had low contributions to
the total environmental impacts during food production.
However, it is estimated that more than 95% of the environmental impacts of packaging is from
the manufacturing of the packages. The remaining 5% is in the disposal of the package materials.
The use and distribution of food products also contribute the environmental impacts. The major
considerations are the mode of transport used in the transportation, the distance to be covered

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during transportation of food products, and the amount of energy required to prepare and store
the food products before consumption (Chisti, 2010).
There are numerous responses that have been implemented or that are yet to be implemented in
Australia to promote sustainability in agricultural production. The major principles associated
with sustainability in food production include solving the problems of natural and agricultural
resources through collaboration and incorporation of individuals and organization, using the
expertise of farmers to both self-sufficiency and self-reliance, using decreased quantity of
unstainable and non-renewable inputs, and also incorporating ecological and biological processes
into food production (Bielek, 2018). Sustainable agricultural practices depend on replenishing
the soil while reducing the need or use of non-renewable resources like mineral ores and natural
gas.
The possible nitrogen sources may be acquired for agriculture include genetically engineering
crops to form nitrogen-fixing symbioses, industrial production of nitrogen by the Haber process,
and also recycling treated human or livestock manure and crop waste. Other agricultural
practices that are more realistic include use of crop landraces that are adapted to lack of
nutrients, drought or pests and also the long-term crop rotation. Those crops that need a high
level of soil nutrients can be planted in a more sustainable way with suitable fertilizer
management methods (Gándara, 2017). The techniques of soil management include protecting
soil from water run-off, reducing chemical fertilizers, incorporating carbon-containing organic
matter backing into the soil, windbreaks to reduce wind erosion and no till-farming.
Soil amendment and crop rotation can also be practised to ensure sustainability in crop
production. Soil amendment entails the use of compost available locally from the recycling
centres situated across the country. The irrigation system can be made more sustainable through

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suitable management and not using water from sources more than it is being replenished
naturally (Bielek, 2018). There is a need for improvements in submersible pumps and water well
drilling technology combined with the development of low-pressure pivots and drip irrigation.
Various steps should be taken to establish faring systems that are drought resistant in dry seasons
with low rainfall. These steps include crops management to minimize water loss, using reduced
volume irrigation systems, using drought-tolerant crop species, and improving water storage and
conservation measures.
The phosphorus fertilizers should be replaced with rock phosphate which is naturally occurring
in the soil. The major challenge of the rick phosphorus is that it is a non-renewable resource and
can be depleted through the mining process. The rock phosphorus can be made efficient through
recycling animal and human wastes and then added to the soil before cultivation. Soil steaming
may also be used as an ecological alternative to chemical fertilizers for sterilization of soil
(Azzurra, Massimiliano, & Angela, 2019). The food processing should be carried out with low
inputs such as energy, raw materials, and water to make the process sustainable. The packing of
food products should focus on minimizing the use of materials and using content that can be
recycled.
For the case of animal-based products, it is best to use raising and feeding sources that are less
intensive. This can be attained by avoiding overstocking of land and restricting the number of
domestic animals that can be kept by farmers in a specific area of land to prevent overgrazing. It
is approximated that in Australia, 70% of antibiotics are fed to the domesticated animals to
counteract unhealthy living conditions and promote growth artificially (Gándara, 2017).
Therefore, companies should procure and support animal products acquired from the less
intensive and humane way.

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CONCLUSION
From this easy, it is clear that due to the increase in the Australian population and the demand for
food is also increasing. This calls for sustainability in food production so as to meet the demand
through reducing food waste, preserving the environment into lowering resource intensity and
sensitive ecosystems and also increasing productivity by about 70% of the current pasture land
and crops. The major focus in the sustainability of food production includes agricultural
activities, food processing, packaging and disposal, distribution and use of food products in a
sustainable manner.

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