Land use and regional supply capacities of urban food patterns: Berlin as an example

Peer-reviewed | Manuscript received: June 14, 2016 | Revision accepted: September 7, 2016

Introduction and state of research

Current urban dietary and consumption patterns can be seen as a consequence of a structural change in agricultural production during the 20^th century. Product prices have fallen as a result of large increases in the productivity of soils (biological-technological progress) and working methods (mechanical-technological progress), while improved logistics and transportation as well as the liberalization of agricultural markets have led to ever increasing globalization of the sector [1, 2]. Cities in particular have thus become further and further decoupled, both geographically and temporally, from the sites where their food is produced [3].

In such a “delocalized” nutrition system, “the sites of producers and processors are no longer defined by regional interrelations, but by logistical criteria geared towards global purchasing and national distribution” [original German citation translated by the authors] [4]. Similarly, the cultural and religious significance of dishes and their seasonal availability throughout the year have been set aside, “lending dietary habits in the industrialized world a more uniform character” [original German citation translated by the authors] [5].

Abstract

The future of world food security is often discussed in terms of population growth and climate change. The countries of the “Global South” are considered particularly vulnerable. However, increasing population in cities mean that food security is also of considerable relevance for the “Global North”. The focus here is not on food shortages, but on the “delocalization” of the production and consumption of food, which is making cities highly dependent on external factors. Against this backdrop, a land footprint accounting was conducted in accordance with ISO 14040/44 in order to gain an overview of the land used by the city of Berlin to cater to current dietary habits; these were compared to regional supply capacities of the surrounding Federal State Brandenburg and potential actions for reducing the land requirements were examined. Of the required area to supply Berlin, 28% is located abroad resulting in a net import of virtual land. The imports are currently not offset by Berlin-Brandenburg through corresponding exports. In addition, the area of land required for nutritional purposes per person by far exceeds the acceptable social-ecological level. This gives rise to questions about the resilience of the urban nutrition system and about regional supply possibilities. It becomes clear that, in addition to a change in consumption patterns – which are also associated with a high proportion of avoidable food losses – a rethinking of domestic (regional) production would also be necessary in order to increase Berlin’s capacity for self-sufficiency.

Keywords: urbanization, nutrition security, delocalization, land requirements, land footprint account, life cycle assessment, regional supply capacities, sustainable nutrition systems

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