The role of energy in mitigating grain storage losses in India and the impact for nutrition
File(s)Gibson_2020_preprint.pdf (1.14 MB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Gibson, Matthew F
Rao, Narasimha D
Slade, Raphael B
Pereira, Joana Portugal
Rogelj, Joeri
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Globally, India's population is amongst the most severely impacted by nutrient deficiency, yet millions of tonnes of food are lost along the supply chain before reaching consumers. Across food groups, grains represent the largest share of daily calories and overall losses by mass in India. This study quantifies energy input to minimise storage losses across India, responsible for up to a quarter of grain losses. In doing so, we explore links between three Sustainable Development Goals-SDG2, SDG7, and SDG12-, and provide insight for development of joined up agriculture and health policy in the country. Focusing on rice, wheat, maize, bajra, and sorghum, we quantify one route to reduce losses in supply chains, by modelling the energy input to maintain favourable climatic conditions in modern silo storage. We quantify key nutrients (calories, protein, zinc, iron, vitamin A) contained within these losses, and calculate roughly how much deficiency in these dietary components could be reduced if grain losses were eliminated. Our modelling indicates that maize has the highest energy input intensity for storage, at 110 (18) kWh per tonne of grain (kWh/t), and wheat the lowest, at 72 (14) kWh/t. This energy cost represents 8%-16% of the energy input required in grain production. We estimate if grain losses across the supply chain were saved and targeted to India's nutritionally deficient population, average protein deficiency could reduce by 46±4%, calorie by 27±2%, zinc by 26±2% and iron by 11±1%.
Date Issued
2020-12-01
Date Acceptance
2020-08-05
Citation
Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2020, 163 (1)
ISSN
0921-3449
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
Resources, Conservation and Recycling
Volume
163
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This manuscript is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Sponsor
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Identifier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344920304171?via%3Dihub
Grant Number
NE/S012834/1
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Engineering, Environmental
Environmental Sciences
Engineering
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Food loss
SDG
Energy
Hunger
Grain storage
India
REDUCING POSTHARVEST LOSSES
UNITED-STATES
FOOD
HEALTH
CONSUMPTION
WASTE
DIETS
05 Environmental Sciences
09 Engineering
12 Built Environment and Design
Environmental Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
105100
Date Publish Online
2020-08-14