Food and energy ii: future implications

Abstract

As a continuation of a previous article published in quaderns agrarRARis on the relationship between energy and food, this paper analyses a series of factors that affect the transition to a sustainable food system and a renewable energy system, emphasizing the food system of Catalonia. The complexity of the entire food chain requires an overview ranging from primary production to energy recovery and the recycling of substances that make up the food products used. The system is characterized by a specialization of the territory, in which different food-producing and consuming areas, where the population is concentrated, are identified within a global market of imports and exports that hampers the consumption of short-chain food contributing to the reduction of energy consumption. To advance towards a renewable future, we need to move in the direction of the circular economy model adopted by the European Union, which entails collective action and citizen involvement, in the framework of a transition scheme in which it is necessary to define long-term objectives and short- and medium-term goals, adopting indicators that provide information on the progress achieved and revisiting the objectives and the methods applied to accomplish them. This transition is laden with uncertainties and difficulties, but with challenges and opportunities as well.

Keywords: food, food chain, energy, energy transition, circular economy.