Economic Energy Efficiency of Food Production Systems

Bartłomiej Bajan, Aldona Mrówczyńska-Kamińska and Walenty Poczta
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Bartłomiej Bajan: Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Aldona Mrówczyńska-Kamińska: Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Walenty Poczta: Department of Economics and Economic Policy in Agribusiness, Faculty of Economics, Poznan University of Life Sciences, 60-637 Poznań, Poland

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: The current global population growth forecast carries with it a global increase in demand for food. In order to meet this demand, it is necessary to increase production, which requires an increase in energy consumption. However, forecasted energy production growth is insufficient and traditional sources of energy are limited; hence, it is necessary to strive for greater energy efficiency in food production systems. The study aimed to compare the economic energy efficiency of food production systems in selected countries and identify the sources of diversification in this field. As a measure of energy efficiency, the indicators of the energy intensity of food production were used in this study. To calculate these indicators, a method based on input-output life-cycle assessment assumptions was used, which enables researchers to obtain fully comparable results between countries. The study showed that despite an increase in energy consumption in the food production systems of the analyzed countries by an average of 27%, from 19.3 EJ to 24.5 EJ, from 2000 to 2014, their energy intensity decreased, on average, by more than 18%, from 8.5 MJ/USD to 6.9 MJ/USD. This means that energy efficiency improvements are possible even under conditions of increased energy consumption, which in turn, means that food production can increase significantly. In the case of developed countries, the main inefficiencies are found in agricultural production, while in developing countries, they are observed in the food industry. Decision-makers should also pay attention to the high level of energy intensity that results from the supply of inputs to agriculture and the food industry because there is great potential for the improvement of energy efficiency in this field, especially because energy consumption associated with supply constitutes a major part of total consumption in the food production systems of developed countries.

Keywords: energy use; energy intensity; energy efficiency; food production; agriculture; food industry; food systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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