Consumer surveys in Juva and Järna for identification of eco-local food baskets

In both Finland and Sweden a family member collected the receipts or filled in purchase diaries for all food entering the household for human consumption during 14 days period. Information on the amount, price, origin and environmental brand of all food products was recorded. After the recording period, the families were interviewed about their food choices, food consumption and food purchasing habits

Systems analysis of small-scale systems for food supply and organic waste management

In this thesis, systems for recycling of household organic waste (easily degradable food waste and sewage water) and small-scale systems for food supply were evaluated to see if they could be environment and energy-conserving options. They were evaluated using simulation of static substance-flow models (SFA) combined with life cycle assessment methodology (LCA) for aggregation and interpretation of the results. Three systems were modelled and simulated: i) organic waste management (including transport, spreading on arable land and cropping of grain), ii) bread processing and distribution and finally iii) liquid milk processing and distribution. The results were found to be very dependent on factors such as choice of system boundaries, transport distances and type of technology. Thus, it was not possible to draw general conclusions regarding the organic waste management system and the scale of food supply system which were most beneficial. However, for the organic waste management system, it was concluded that toilet water-separating sewage systems are a means to increase the rate of nutrient recycling. Furthermore, it was found that urine-separating toilet systems increase nitrogen-recycling rate and decrease energy consumption. The results indicated that anaerobic digestion of organic wastes from society and animal manure could be a system for farmers (or communities) to become more energy self-supporting. With regard to the food supply system (the transport and processing chain of foodstuffs), it was concluded that energy optimised small-scale food processing and distribution systems could have lower environmental impacts and energy consumption than large-scale systems. However, this requires that the advantages of small-scale be utilised in the entire system, i.e. they should be combined with a nearby local market in order to minimise all transport. The results obtained indicate that the processing step and the private-car transport of food from shop to consumer's home are the most essential parts of the food supply system with respect to environmental impacts and energy consumption

Effective recycling agriculture around the Baltic Sea: background report

In this report the historical background and present situation of the plant nutrient balances and surplus of plant nutrients within the agricultural sector in the eight countries of the Baltic Sea catchments area (Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Denmark, Germany and Russia) are presented and analysed. The Baltic Ecological Recycling Agriculture and Society (BERAS) project is evaluating the consequences of converting the whole agricultural sector according to recycling principles. This analysis is being based on data from selected ecological recycling farms within the Baltic drainage area and will be presented in a series of project reports of which this is the first for Work Package 2, Effects on environment, natural resources and health

Local and ecological food consumption - case studies in Finland and Sweden

Preliminary results show that in the Juva district amount of energy according to the purchase diary is 7.6 MJ/person/day and in Järna district the amount is 9.4 MJ/person/day. Our results are in a range that is reasonable

The potential of ecological recycling agriculture (ERA) for improved nature resource conservation and reduced environmental impacts in the Baltic Sea drainage area

By integrating crop and animal production on a farm or farms in closed cooperation combined with soil formation legume crops in balanced crop-rotations it will be possible to maximize the efficient use of nutrients in manure, minimize inputs of limited nutrient resources, minimize nutrient surpluses and reduce the input of nutrients to the Baltic Sea by more than 50 %. This will be the basis for recommendation to convert the agriculture in the Baltic drainage area

Sustainable Food System – Targeting Production Methods, Distribution or Food Basket Content?

Agriculture is the single most important contributor to the eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. Itis responsible for 59% of the anthropogenic nitrogen and 56% of the phosphorous emissions(HELCOM, 2005). A second important source of nutrient emissions is at the other end of thefood system – emissions from municipal waste-water treatment plants and from privatehouseholds. Addressing different aspects of the food system is thus crucial for the Baltic Seaenvironment. To tackle eutrophication both nitrogen and phosphorous loads should bereduced (MVB, 2005). This can be achieved if emissions from the food system are reduced,e.g. by closing the nutrient cycle from soil to crop and back to agricultural soil (Diaz andRosenberg, 2008). Granstedt (2000) finds that the high surplus and emissions of nitrate andphosphorous in Swedish agriculture is a consequence of specialized agriculture with itsseparation of crop and animal production. Similar findings are reported from different partsof Europe (Brower et al., 1995). About 80% of cropland in Sweden is used for fodderproduction but the animal production is concentrated to a limited number of specializedanimal farms. Manure, with its contents of nutrients from the whole agriculture area, istoday concentrated on only 20% of the Swedish arable land (Statistics Sweden, 2011). Thisresults in high nutrient surplus and load of nitrogen and phosphorus from these areas.Granstedt (2000) concludes that the emissions can be limited by combining best availableagricultural technology with increased recycling of nutrients within the agricultural systemtrough integration of crop and animal production - ecological recycling agriculture (ERA).This facilitates an efficient use of the plant nutrients in farm yard manure. Other studies ofnutrient balances comparing farming systems and lifecycle assessment report similarobservations (Halberg, 1999; Myrbeck, 1999; Steinshamn et al., 2004; Uusitalo, 2007). Thepotential of reduced nutrient emissions trough ERA was confirmed in case studies on localorganic farms around the Baltic Sea (Granstedt et al., 2008; Larsson and Granstedt, 2010).Carlsson-Kanyama (1999) found that greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by localand organic food production due to shorter transportation. Similar results are reported in acompilation of studies (FiBL, 2006) and in studies of local production and processing inJärna, Sweden (Wallgren, 2008). According to Carlsson-Kanyama et al. (2004) the reductionsare not significant unless local distribution becomes more efficient.QC 20160524</p

Local and ecological food consumption - case studies in Finland and Sweden

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Ecological recycling agriculture to reduce nutrient pollution to Baltic Sea

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