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Resource consumption in Japanese agriculture and its link to food security

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  • Gasparatos, Alexandros

Abstract

Energy security and food security are two key policy objectives of the Japanese government. However, their study and the policies that have targeted them have been disjointed at best. This paper explores the links between these two policy objectives by quantifying the resources used in (a) the agricultural sector as a whole and (b) two very resource intensive sub-sectors, beef and pork production. Emergy synthesis is used as the analytical approach for the period 1975-2005 with the results suggesting that not only is more natural capital currently being used within the agricultural sector but the efficiency of the agricultural production has declined considering the increase in transformity during the same period. What is more important though is that agricultural yield is strongly correlated with resource use (quantified as emergy). This finding suggests that sudden changes in resource supply can affect agricultural production and as an extension national food security. Overall the evidence presented in this paper shows that energy security and food security are indeed interconnected and that integrated policy responses will be required if these issues are to be tackled effectively.

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  • Gasparatos, Alexandros, 2011. "Resource consumption in Japanese agriculture and its link to food security," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 1101-1112, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:39:y:2011:i:3:p:1101-1112
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    5. Wang, Xiuhong & Shen, Jianxiu & Zhang, Wei, 2014. "Emergy evaluation of agricultural sustainability of Northwest China before and after the grain-for-green policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 508-516.
    6. Ghisellini, Patrizia & Zucaro, Amalia & Viglia, Silvio & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2014. "Monitoring and evaluating the sustainability of Italian agricultural system. An emergy decomposition analysis," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 271(C), pages 132-148.
    7. Russeil, Valentin & Lo Seen, Danny & Broust, François & Bonin, Muriel & Praene, Jean-Philippe, 2023. "Food and electricity self-sufficiency trade-offs in Reunion Island: Modelling land-use change scenarios with stakeholders," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    8. Gavin Parker, 2014. "Social innovation in local food in Japan: Choku-bai-jo markets and Teikei cooperative practices," Real Estate & Planning Working Papers rep-wp2014-08, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
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