Earth Equity News

Study Unmasks Massive Water Waste in an Ever-Parched World. Posted by Andrew C. Revkin, NYTimes DotEarth, August 22, 2008. "The vast amounts of food lost to spoilage and insects in poor countries, and simply tossed in rich ones, also represent an enormous stream of wasted water, according to a new report that calls for big improvements in a world heading toward 9 billion hungry, thirsty mouths. The report [PDF, 29 pp], 'Saving Water: From Field to Fork -- Curbing Losses and Wastage in the Food Chain,' was issued... by the Stockholm International Water Institute, Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N., and the International Water Management Institute. It outlines ways that governments could halve the amount of food lost between field and plate by 2025. The amounts of waste are staggering. In the U.S., nearly one-third of the food that is produced each year, worth about $48 billion, is discarded. The water it [takes] to grow and process that wasted food amounts to about 10 trillion gallons... [and] many European countries have similar losses, proportional to their size... One way or another, it's clear that improved efficiency in food production and water use will be needed... As the new report explains, more than a billion people now live in areas with insufficient water. Rising demand for agricultural products that require large amounts of water, particularly beef cattle and biofuel crops, is adding to shortages. For a close-up look at food waste at the level of the household, you can check out Tara Parker-Pope's interview earlier this year with the food-waste maven, Jonathan Bloom."