Food Self-sufficiency Ratio Research Articles

Competitiveness and Cereal Self-Sufficiency in Western Balkan Countries

Crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian-Ukrainian war, and challenges associated with sustainable development have emphasized the need for local food to increase the food system’s resilience. Therefore, this research analyzes the food self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) and revealed comparative advantage (RCA) of cereals in Western Balkan countries (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia) and compares them with the same indicators for all European countries. The methodological framework of this research examined the food self-sufficiency and macro-level competitiveness for cereals in Western Balkan countries, as well as in Europe. The results of the research showed that all European countries have higher self-sufficiency in cereals (109.12%) and higher revealed comparative advantage (2.21) compared to the group of Western Balkans countries (71.89%; 1.53), which have lower values of the mentioned indicators. The results of econometric modeling for the Western Balkan countries showed that GDP per capita negatively influences the SSR of cereals, and agriculture value added per worker and area harvested under cereals positively influence the SSR of cereals. When it comes to the influence on the RCA of cereals in the Western Balkan region, the critical influence is GDP per capita, political stability, and agriculture value added per worker, all of which positively influence the RCA.

Enhanced food system efficiency is the key to China's 2060 carbon neutrality target.

Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, among other negative-emission technologies, is required for China to achieve carbon neutrality-yet it may hinder land-based Sustainable Development Goals. Using modelling and scenario analysis, we investigate how to mitigate the potential adverse impacts on the food system of ambitious bioenergy deployment in China and its trading partners. We find that producing bioenergy domestically while sticking to the food self-sufficiency ratio redlines would lower China's daily per capita calorie intake by 8% and increase domestic food prices by 23% by 2060. Removing China's food self-sufficiency ratio restrictions could halve the domestic food dilemma but risks transferring environmental burdens to other countries, whereas halving food loss and waste, shifting to healthier diets and narrowing crop yield gaps could effectively mitigate these external effects. Our results show that simultaneously achieving carbon neutrality, food security and global sustainability requires a careful combination of these measures.

What are the main challenges facing the sustainable development of China’s Yangtze economic belt in the future? An integrated view

Interactions among human and natural systems are fundamental to many issues facing today’s sustainable development. Yangtze Economic Belt (hereafter Belt), one of the most dynamic regions in China, is of no exception. The economic prosperity of the Belt, however, comes at the price of ecological and environmental degradation, which poses severe challenges to its sustainable development. This paper describes the application of the ANEMI_Yangtze system dynamics model, aiming at identifying the main challenges facing the Belt and the potential way out towards its sustainable development. Three scenarios are proposed to (i) explore the potential impacts of climate change; (ii) examine how changes in birth control policy affect population dynamics and the natural-environmental systems; and (iii) investigate how policies aimed at improving the eco-environment conditions affect the Belt. Results show that a moderate rise in temperature is beneficial to the Belt’s economy and energy-food-water systems, but further temperature rise is harmful. Population in the Belt peaks around 2030, 2080, and 2100 under one-child, two-child, and three-child policies, respectively. Suppose no major changes in economic, technological, and policy developments are introduced. In that case, the Belt may face a serious energy deficit ranging from 10 to 17 billion tce. A food self-sufficiency ratio will fall from around 0.7 to 0.39 by 2100 as the country’s birth control policy loosens. Water scarcity occurs if surface water is considered as the only supply and this situation becomes even more serious when water pollution effects are considered. However, water stress will be greatly allievated if groundwater and wastewater reuse are introduced. The policy of increasing nutrient removal efficiency can save million lives. Finally, our results also suggest that the recently introduced 10-year fishing ban policy can not prevent the Yangtze fish stock from depletion in the long run.

Food Self-Sufficiency of the SEE Countries; Is the Region Prepared for a Future Crisis?

Although the concept of self-sufficiency has been accepted both in developed and developing countries, alternated with periods of its rejections, the food crisis from 2007/08 and COVID-19 pandemic returned focus to the availability of countries to be self-sufficient in food production. Considering the concerns over ensuring food security in many countries, the main objective of this paper is to estimate the ability to fulfill the feed demand of the population in the eight countries of South-East Europe (SEE), which is in crisis conditions, such as pandemic especially important. In that context, the food self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) is calculated for total food production, as well as for different food groups. The next step in the methodological framework was to estimate the influence of different factors on the self-sufficiency ratio, as it depends on natural, financial, economic, and political factors. The results show that the SEE region expresses a high level of SSR in food, so it shows that the region is quite ready to respond to the challenges posed by the crisis. However, as the SEE region is a group of very different countries, regional cooperation should be strengthened as food production is considered.

Agrifood export potential of the Russian Federation: challenges and opportunities

The article is devoted to the search for opportunities to expand agrifood export potential of the Russian Federation in the rapidly changing landscape of global development. Despite the improved country’s position in the ranking of the world’s main food exporters at the end of 2020, there are a number of problems that hinder the achievement of the ambitious goal, set by the President in 2018 — the supply of agricultural products to the world market, equivalent to 45 billion dollars by 2025. Among these are: limited production opportunities for increasing exports while saturating the domestic market, inadequacy of the methodology for calculating the self-sufficiency ratio with the status of Russia as a food-exporting country, traditionally and mainly raw materials and grain export orientation, not corresponding to the actual capabilities of the Russian agroindustrial complex high expectations of an increase in supplies to the Chinese market, an increase in domestic food prices in retail and, as a result, a deterioration in food security in terms of economic availability for the population. The author put forward a proposal to revise the methodological approach to the assessment of the food self-sufficiency ratio and the subsequent determination of export product groups and the corridor of maximum permissible exports for them. It is concluded that export restrictions are justifi ed only for those commodity groups for which food independence has not been achieved. The need to diversify the export supply through the creation of a new commodity mass with added value produced on the territory of Russia is noted. The article emphasizes the principality of creating the food image of Russia as a producer of environmentally friendly safe products, and performing advertising campaigns when entering the Chinese market.

Food Self-sufficiency Ratio Targets and Policies for Securing a Stable Food Supply

This study reviews the points of the food self-sufficiency ratio target and stable supply of food positioned in the basic plan. Regarding the target of the food self-sufficiency ratio targets, in addition to the setting based on the conventional thinking, we set a new target for the food domestic production rate. Regarding food policy, we positioned responding to the increasingly diversifies and sophisticated needs of consumers, promoting government-integrated exports, ensuring food safety, eating habits, and establishing comprehensive food security that takes into account changes in education and food supply risks.

FOOD SECURITY IN SUDAN: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF FOOD AVAILABILITY

This study aimed to analyse historical food availability in Sudan during 1961-2013. This was achieved by assessing the food supply (kg/capita/yr.), dietary energy supply (DES) (kcal/capita/day), composition of diets and food self-sufficiency. The study depended on the available secondary data from FAO balance sheets. Percent share, annual cumulative growth rate and trends were used as analytical tools. The total food supply had a positive growth rate of 4.9%. The DES increased from 1743 to 2186 kcal/capita/day, implying that Sudan is food insecure. Cereals constitute approximately half of the total DES. The percentage share of vegetal sources was paramount in the DES (80%), protein supply (60%) and fat supply (45-68%) relative to that of animal sources. The per capita consumption of protein and fat (g/capita/day) were considered within the adequate supply, and below the average of the world and Arab countries. Carbohydrates ranked as the highest source contributing to the DES, followed by fats and proteins. These macro-nutrient contributions to the total DES fell within the recommendation ranges of the WHO for the balanced diets. The growth rate of imports outnumbered that of the domestic food supply and production, reflected in declining trend of the overall food self-sufficiency ratio by 1.5% per decade. The study recommended efficient use of Sudan abundant resources to increase food availability.

Rola przemysłu spożywczego w gospodarce Polski

The purpose of the work was to indicate the role of food industry enterprises in Poland. The paper presents comparative analyses over time, using the longest time horizon possible in terms of access to data. The work used statistical data published by the Central Statistical Office of Poland and Eurostat. A comparative analysis of the size of the food industry to the size of industrial processing was also used. When determining the physical availability of food that is provided by agriculture and the food industry, agricultural balances were used and the food self-sufficiency ratio calculated (i.e. the relation between domestic production and domestic use). The supply approach was used in line with the theory of industry structure. History confirmed that the agricultural raw material processing industry is more often located in the central and western parts of Poland. The production sold by over 17,000 entities (243 billion) constitutes over 1/5 of sold production of industrial processing. Every sixth employee in industrial processing is employed in the food industry, and their number has increased in recent years to 422,600. Despite the decrease in the number of enterprises, the value of sales of their products is growing, which is influenced partly by increasing production volume. The number and importance of large enterprises is growing. Although they constitute less than 2%, they are responsible for almost 56% of the value of sales, employing 46% of the employees. The phenomenon of food industry concentration has been growing in recent years. The degree of food self-sufficiency is maintained in most products. Apart from a few products, domestic consumption decreases when domestic production increases. The limited absorbency of the internal market, with growing imports, forces food industry companies to develop exports.

Food Self-sufficiency Ratio Targets and Policies for Securing a Stable Food Supply

Food Self-sufficiency Ratio Targets and Policies for Securing a Stable Food Supply

A novel approach for analyzing the food-energy nexus through on-farm energy generation

To find a balance between food and energy security, this research presents the design of an energy self-sufficient farm in electricity, heat and bioethanol, which is produced by energy crops and agricultural residues. The farm proposed is evaluated by two models: Land Optimization and Cost Optimization. Due to the food–fuel debate over land and the detriment of food security, this research proposes utilizing the current abandoned land and increasing the food self-sufficiency ratio (FSSR) of the crops analyzed (rice, wheat and maize). The farm is optimized for several food and fuel demands, with a maximum farm unit size of 100 ha. The result is a myriad of farms of different sizes, each optimized for a certain demand. Subsequently, the amount and variety of such farms are optimized maximizing the food and fuel produced for each city of the case study (Miyagi Prefecture, Japan). The results suggest that the establishment of energy self-sufficient farms in the abandoned land can stimulate the biofuel industry and increase food security simultaneously. The FSSR of maize and wheat can be improved in approximately 10–25 and 7–9 %, respectively. The estimated bioethanol potential is 3.2–3.8 ML. Additionally, a surplus of electricity and heat, approximately 61–65 GWh and 60–165 MJ, respectively, is obtained. As the Land Optimization model proposed is sensitive to crop yields, a simultaneous evaluation is recommended. The results also suggest that the farms must be larger than 8 ha to achieve self-sufficiency; therefore, the policies involved need further evaluation.

Assessment of food self-sufficiency in smallholder farming systems of south-western Madagascar using survey and remote sensing data

Madagascar is among the countries with a very high level of poverty and food insecurity. This holds particularly true for the south-western (SW) region with its chronic food shortages. Information on crop production, food availability and coping strategies of smallholders to deal with food shortages are scarce but urgently needed to assess the local food security status for more effective land management planning and famine prevention. This study, therefore, investigated farmers' coping strategies and determined the food security index (FSI), the food self-sufficiency ratio (FSSR) and cassava self-sufficiency (CSS) at the household level in three typical villages of the Mahafaly region in SW Madagascar. To this end we used household consumption surveys, land use mapping, crop field measurements, allometric equations and canopy cover estimations from aerial photographs for cassava yield assessments. For the majority of sampled households the daily calorie intake was insufficient (FSI<1) and the most frequent food insecurity coping strategies encountered were collection of wild food, off-farm activities and a reduction of meals. There was a high seasonal variation in food consumption, FSI and FSSR with different patterns on the plateau and in the coastal area. The main factors influencing FSSR were cassava yield, the livestock richness and landholding, whereas the number of off-farm activities determined FSI. Altogether, our results revealed that annual cultivated food crops provided up to 64% of people's diet. Cassava was the most important staple and played a key role for food self-sufficiency. However, cassava yields averaged only 0.69tha−1 and CSS ranged between 39 and 54%. Although there exists a high climate-induced risk in crop production, there is still room for improvements of agricultural techniques to enhance food self-sufficiency. However, enhancing access to off-farm income opportunities is similarly important to sustain local livelihoods in the long-term.

Analysis of the impact of agricultural R&D investment on food security

ABSTRACTThis article investigates how agricultural R&D investment affects the food self-sufficiency ratio (SSR). Several studies have argued a causal relationship between agricultural R&D investment and food security. However, most of these studies are based on conceptual logic and few studies have conducted an empirical analysis. This study verifies whether agricultural R&D investment affects the food SSR as a representative indicator of food security. A total of 822 data sets of 41 countries have been used in the analysis in this study and include developed and developing country data over the period 1981–2009. Food self-efficiency is used as a dependent variable, and agricultural R&D investment and other variables are used as explanatory variables. The estimation results show that, first, the cereal SSR and income are in an inverted U-shaped relationship. Second, increases in land productivity increase the cereal SSR and, lastly, the cereal SSR ratio and agricultural R&D investment are in a U-shaped relationship.

Food security problems in post Soviet Georgia

Abstract The paper introduces new insights into category content of national food security within the context of other components included into the unified system of the economic security of the country. Basic (Pilot) indicators of food security have been studied and there have been made a conclusion that these indicators showed a great deterioration in post-Soviet Georgia. In response to ineffective agricultural policy, food self-sufficiency ratio is low and import ratio in a consumer basket is high. Due to low income bracket and rise in food prices, majority of the population can't get necessary amount of calories determined by physical standards. There have been revealed strengths and weaknesses of endogenous and exogenous factors influencing food security of the country. There has been researched how increase in local food production influences the macroeconomic security, especially momentary security of the country. Proposals and recommendations are drafted on strengthening food security of the country.

A Quantitative Factorial Component Analysis to Investigate the Recent Changes of Japan’s Weight-Based Food Self-Sufficiency Ratio

We investigate the weight-based food self-sufficiency ratio (WSSR) for Japan over a 50-year period (1961-2011) by applying factorial component analysis technique in order to measure the changes of the WSSR quantitatively. Quantitative data analysis is employed to determine the drivers of those changes. Numerical results show that Japan experienced a drastic decline in its food self-sufficiency ratio (FSSR) during the above period. The factorial component analysis shows that such a decline was caused by the changes in the FSSR of the food groups/items, not in the quantity of the food supply. A number of characteristics of those changes are presented and a list of major food groups that have major impacts on the changes is constructed. The findings in this paper reiterate the alarming food security problem in Japan and provide clear insight into the causes of this problem. The findings in this study pick up where previous studies have left off, aid the food-related policy-making process and identify new ideas for future food research.

Development of Sustainable Agriculture in China

Sustainable agricultural development comprises sustainability of agricultural production, sustainability of the rural economy, ecological and environmental sustainability within agricultural systems and sustainability of rural society. China's prime aim is to ensure current and future food security. Based on projections of China's population, its economy, societal factors and agricultural resources and inputs between 2000 and 2050, total grain supply and demand has been predicted and the state of food security analyzed. Total and per capita demand for grain will increase continuously. Total demand will reach 648 Mt in 2020 and 700 Mt in 2050, while total grain yield of cultivated land will reach 470 Mt in 2010, 585 Mt in 2030 and 656 Mt in 2050. The per capita grain production will be around 360 kg in the period 2000-2030 and reach 470 kg in 2050. When productivities of cultivated land and other agricultural resources are all taken into consideration, China's food self-sufficiency ratio will increase from 94.4% in 2000 to 101.3% in 2030, suggesting that China will meet its future demand for food and need for food security. Despite this positive assessment, the country's sustainable agricultural development has encountered many obstacles. These include:a. agricultural water-use shortage; b. cultivated land loss; c. inappropriate usage of fertilizers and pesticides, and d. environmental degradation.This paper aims to give an insight into opportunities and challenges of sustainable agricultural development in China. It also introduces the concepts and aims of Chinese sustainable agriculture. The paper concludes that the current ecological agricultural development in China is the result of a long-term planning system and the outcome of a number of market principles that have been introduced in the last three decades. It is imperative to move the ideology of ecological agriculture into the political realm and promotes a continuous dialogue between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers.

Estimation of potential water requirements using water footprint for the target of food self-sufficiency in South Korea

South Korea’s food self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) dramatically decreased from 56 % in 1980 to 27 % in 2010, due to changes in food production and consumption patterns. Naturally, the changes in food self-sufficiency and consumption patterns will affect the world agricultural trade. This study aims to analyze trends in water footprints (WFs) on the basis of statistics for per capita food consumption in the last 25 years. The WFs for potential water requirements (WFsPWR) were estimated using food production and consumption scenarios for the targets of the SSRs in 2015 and 2020. The WFs for per capita food consumption (WFscap) were estimated at 512.9 m3 (1985) and 822.9 m3 (2010). Cereals and meats accounted for 36.3 and 21.5 % of the total WFscap in 1985, and 18.3 and 38.6 % in 2010, respectively. This implies that with economic development, Korea’s dietary patterns have changed from cereal to meat-oriented. To achieve the targets of 52 % (2015) and 55 % (2020) food SSR based on calories, additional WFsPWR are estimated to be 1255.5 Mm3 (2015) and 1923.9 Mm3 (2020). Results of this study are expected to be a useful basis for making long-term policies for sustainable agricultural production and water management from technical and social perspectives.

Hawai‘i’s food consumption and supply sources: benchmark estimates and measurement issues

At the current time, Hawai‘i lacks an established set of benchmark estimates on the availability of food for market consumption and its supply sources. This paper serves to fill a persistent gap in the existing literature by providing an estimation framework to map the existing food supply flows from various sources and to determine the various levels of food consumption in Hawai‘i. The authors suggest modified measures of food self-sufficiency and import dependency to provide a more accurate assessment on the extent of food localization in Hawai‘i. The analytical framework presented in this paper can be applied to other small, open (island or regional) economies with a food localization agenda, as it provides a more discrete and appropriate set of measurements, as well as offering the lessons gained through Hawai‘i’s experience and challenges in the data-collating process. Local production and imports (continental United States and foreign countries) of consumable food in Hawai‘i are estimated at just over 1.14 million tonnes in 2010. Food exports totaled 175.5 thousand tonnes, leaving total available food for consumption locally at 966.6 thousand tonnes. On a de facto basis, per capita food consumption in Hawai‘i is estimated at 657.9 kilograms in 2010. At the food group level, fresh vegetables lead with per capita food consumption of 84.2 kilograms, followed by other proteins at 69.1 kilograms, fresh fruits at 67.7 kilograms, fresh milk at 62.9 kilograms, and rice at 27.9 kilograms. The analysis indicates that Hawai‘i has an overall food self-sufficiency ratio (SSR) of 15.7% and an overall food import dependency ratio (IDR) of 102.5%. While it appears counterintuitive that the IDR exceeds 100%, this figure actually indicates the existence of food imports into Hawai‘i that are then turned around and re-exported to other markets. With application of the more accurate localization ratio (LR), we estimate that only 11.6% of available food for consumption in Hawai‘i was actually sourced from local production in 2010. Likewise, the modified import dependency ratio (MIDR) indicates that an estimated 88.4% of available food in Hawai‘i was sourced from imports.

Factor Endowments, Wage Growth, and Changing Food Self‐Sufficiency: Evidence from Country‐Level Panel Data

Asian countries have witnessed a sharp increase in real wage as a result of rapid economic growth and structural transformation in recent years. Using a country level panel data from 1980 to 2010, this paper examines the effects of real wage increase on Asian agriculture that traditionally used family labor intensively on small farms. The empirical evidence supports our hypothesis that an increase in real wages, along with absorptions of labor into nonagricultural sectors, has been inducing the substitution of labor by machines in agriculture. However, this process is less successful in the countries that are constrained by their small operational land sizes, resulting in lowered land productivity. We also demonstrated that dynamic changes in yield are an important determinant of food self-sufficiency ratio. The above findings imply that in the near future, Asian agriculture can face a challenge in maintaining domestic food production. Given the large size of consumer demands in the region and its increasing trend, the future path of Asian agriculture could be a significant constraint on the global food supply-demand balance.

Factor Endowments, Wage Growth, and Changing Food Self-Sufficiency: Evidence from Country-Level Panel Data

Asian countries have witnessed a sharp increase in real wage as a result of rapid economic growth and structural transformation in recent years. Using a country level panel data from 1980 to 2010, this paper examines the effects of real wage increase on Asian agriculture that traditionally used family labor intensively on small farms. The empirical evidence supports our hypothesis that an increase in real wages, along with absorptions of labor into nonagricultural sectors, has been inducing the substitution of labor by machines in agriculture. However, this process is less successful in the countries that are constrained by their small operational land sizes, resulting in lowered land productivity. We also demonstrated that dynamic changes in yield are an important determinant of food self-sufficiency ratio. The above findings imply that in the near future, Asian agriculture can face a challenge in maintaining domestic food production. Given the large size of consumer demands in the region and its increasing trend, the future path of Asian agriculture could be a significant constraint on the global food supply-demand balance.

転作田における麦・大豆2毛作の成立条件に関する考察

There have been a problem which a rate of land use and unit yield of arviculture is low level to incr ease food selfsufficiency ratio. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the formation factors and conditions affecting long-interval arviculture crop rotation systems. The analysis was conducted using the case study method. The formation factors are as follows: 1) Income from the soybean crop exceeded that from paddy rice due to the fall in the price of paddy and the policy of rice supply adjustment. 2) Improvements in the physical properties of the soil led to an increase in the per unit yield of barley. The formation conditions are as follows: 1) This cropping system necessitates that the work be completed within a specific (short) time. 2) The system r equires many operators/a larger labor force (i.e., group farming) in order to be implemented.