Berlin 2015 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 39: Physics of Sustainability and Human-Nature Interactions I (joint SOE/DY/jDPG/BP/AKE)

BP 39.4: Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 17:45–18:00, MA 001

Limits and opportunities of a regionalized food production for cities: A global analysis — •Steffen Kriewald, Anselmo García Cantú Ros, Till Sterzel, Prajal Pradhan, and Jürgen P. Kropp — Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam, Germany

The massive ongoing urbanisation in the 21st century is a major challenge for societies and therefore crucial developments towards a sustainable future will take place in cities. Together with many other issues a proper food supply is essential. Today, the necessary transport of food, especially the increasing transport by plane due to the global food supply chain, leads to a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. A reorganisation of cities in terms of their food allocation could save a considerable amount of emissions. We provide a global overview of the potential of peri-urban agriculture based on land-use, population, yield and dietary datasets. Our analysis indicates that up to 2 billion city dwellers can be fed by local grown products. However, Climate Change will drastically decrease the possibility of a local food supply for many regions.