This project focused on identifying dietary patterns, embodied crop calories in animal source food, food self-sufficiency at the local scale, and measures to close yield gaps. The project identified sixteen dietary patterns between 1961 and 2007 globally, with food intake ranging from 1870 to 3400 kcal/cap/day. Dietary patterns are changing towards more meat rich diets worldwide. Due to a large share of animal products, very high calorie diets that are common in the developed world, exhibit high total per capita emissions of 3.7-6.1 kg CO2eq./day. Currently, 40% of the global crop calories are fed to livestock and 4 kcal of crop products are used to generate 1 kcal of animal products. However, these values vary greatly around the world. Globally 1.9 billion people can be fed by local products generated within their 5' grid while about 1 billion Asian and African require cross-continental food trade.
By bridging differences between potential and current crop yields known as yield gaps, Asia and Africa can also be food self-sufficient, which also reduces international trade and increases a self-sufficient population in a 5' grid up to 2.9 billion. Thus, closing yield gaps to attain potential yields might be a viable option to meet the future food and feed demand. This requires a location specific multiple of input and management packages comprising fertilizers and pesticides, and management of yield variability, soil constrains and market accessibility.
Prajal Pradhan and others investigated the topic during the scholarship.
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