Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China
Increasing urbanization and affluence have led to changes in food consumption patterns. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers ensures food security but also leads to environmental pollution due to N losses, through processes such as acidification, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Foods |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/4/752 |
| _version_ | 1797621029076467712 |
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| author | Yihang Liang Yanqin Zhang Yuyue Wang Xinggong Kong Zucong Cai Yanhua Wang |
| author_facet | Yihang Liang Yanqin Zhang Yuyue Wang Xinggong Kong Zucong Cai Yanhua Wang |
| author_sort | Yihang Liang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Increasing urbanization and affluence have led to changes in food consumption patterns. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers ensures food security but also leads to environmental pollution due to N losses, through processes such as acidification, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions. To clarify whether changes in food consumption patterns could increase N losses and to explore sustainable food system pathways, this study integrated the Chinese Food System Dashboard and the Nutrient Flows in Food Chains, Environment and Resources Use model to quantify and compare the link between food consumption and N losses in different agricultural regions using a case study of Bayannur City in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2016. During the study period, Bayannur’s food consumption pattern changed from a “high carbohydrate and pork pattern” to a “high fiber and herbivore pattern”, which represents a shift from low to high N consumption. The per-capita food consumption decreased by 11.55% from 425.41 kg cap<sup>−1</sup>, whereas the per-capita N losses increased by 12.42% from 35.60 kg N cap<sup>−1</sup>. The average share of the plant-oriented and animal-oriented food supply in these losses was 53.39% and 46.61%, respectively. There were differences in the food consumption patterns and N losses in Bayannur’s farming, farming–pastoral, and pastoral regions. The changes in N losses were most significant in the pastoral region. The N losses to the environment increased sharply by 112.33% from 22.75 g N cap<sup>−1</sup> over the past 16 years. The low level of economic development in Bayannur resulted in a shift in the food consumption pattern to a high N consumption. Four measures to protect food security and reduce the food N cost were proposed: (1) increasing the wheat planting area and maintaining the existing corn one; (2) expanding the scale of high-quality alfalfa planting; (3) enhancing the area of oat grass and wheat replanting; and (4) using modern planting technology. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:49:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6f9dfe01d6a3442db1ce7b8672ebef40 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:49:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-6f9dfe01d6a3442db1ce7b8672ebef402023-11-16T20:30:03ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582023-02-0112475210.3390/foods12040752Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, ChinaYihang Liang0Yanqin Zhang1Yuyue Wang2Xinggong Kong3Zucong Cai4Yanhua Wang5School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaSchool of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaIncreasing urbanization and affluence have led to changes in food consumption patterns. The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers ensures food security but also leads to environmental pollution due to N losses, through processes such as acidification, eutrophication, and greenhouse gas emissions. To clarify whether changes in food consumption patterns could increase N losses and to explore sustainable food system pathways, this study integrated the Chinese Food System Dashboard and the Nutrient Flows in Food Chains, Environment and Resources Use model to quantify and compare the link between food consumption and N losses in different agricultural regions using a case study of Bayannur City in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2016. During the study period, Bayannur’s food consumption pattern changed from a “high carbohydrate and pork pattern” to a “high fiber and herbivore pattern”, which represents a shift from low to high N consumption. The per-capita food consumption decreased by 11.55% from 425.41 kg cap<sup>−1</sup>, whereas the per-capita N losses increased by 12.42% from 35.60 kg N cap<sup>−1</sup>. The average share of the plant-oriented and animal-oriented food supply in these losses was 53.39% and 46.61%, respectively. There were differences in the food consumption patterns and N losses in Bayannur’s farming, farming–pastoral, and pastoral regions. The changes in N losses were most significant in the pastoral region. The N losses to the environment increased sharply by 112.33% from 22.75 g N cap<sup>−1</sup> over the past 16 years. The low level of economic development in Bayannur resulted in a shift in the food consumption pattern to a high N consumption. Four measures to protect food security and reduce the food N cost were proposed: (1) increasing the wheat planting area and maintaining the existing corn one; (2) expanding the scale of high-quality alfalfa planting; (3) enhancing the area of oat grass and wheat replanting; and (4) using modern planting technology.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/4/752food consumption patternsfood supplynitrogen lossesenvironmental influenceBayannur City |
| spellingShingle | Yihang Liang Yanqin Zhang Yuyue Wang Xinggong Kong Zucong Cai Yanhua Wang Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China Foods food consumption patterns food supply nitrogen losses environmental influence Bayannur City |
| title | Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China |
| title_full | Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China |
| title_fullStr | Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China |
| title_short | Increasing Nitrogen Losses Due to Changing Food Consumption Patterns in Bayannur City, China |
| title_sort | increasing nitrogen losses due to changing food consumption patterns in bayannur city china |
| topic | food consumption patterns food supply nitrogen losses environmental influence Bayannur City |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/12/4/752 |
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