Energy Budget of Food Production

Farming's Energy Budget

When farming and producing food, one needs to examine the inputs, outputs, flows and storages in order to determine the energy budget.

e.g. fuels, chemicals, labor, materials, transports, wastes, energetic content of products.

Also consider that the marketable product which is produced is only a % of the total output, which may not be marketable.

For every watt of input I get ___ watts of product (dairying, cereals, etc.)

Comparing Aquatic vs. Terrestrial Food Production

Terrestrial:

• Food harvested from 1st or 2nd trophic levels thus more energetically efficient.
• Solar energy capture (GPP) more efficient.
• Energy transfers between trophic levels not as efficient.

Aquatic:

• Most food is harvested from higher trophic levels, thus not as efficient
• Solar capture (GPP) not as efficient due to absorption of sunlight by water
• Energy transfers between trophic levels fairly efficient.