International Research Journal of Environment Sciences________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414Vol. 3(2), 99-102, February (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 99 A Sustainable Diet for a Sustainable Life: An Indian city, Ajmer as a Case StudySharma Kriti and Mathur P.Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, Kishangarh, Ajmer, Rajasthan, INDIA Department of Environmental Science, M.D.S. University, Ajmer, Rajasthan, INDIA Available online at: www.isca.in, www.isca.me Received 29th December 2013, revised 18th January 2014, accepted 20th February 2014 AbstractAn integral part of sustainable development is to reduce the throughput of natural resources in relation to human demands and services. Ecological footprint relates various throughputs of resources to the respective fertile areas required which offer a chance of auditing sustainable development. Ecological footprint is a measure of the mark that is left behind upon the natural environment. The footprint is expressed in terms of the land area that is required to feed, provide resources, produce energy, assimilate waste, and to re-absorb its CO2 generated from combustion of fossil fuels. Food which we eat and how it is produced and manufactured has a significant impact on the environment and ecological footprint. This study employed the compound methodology to estimate the food carbon footprint of Ajmer city. The results have been calculated for different food and land categories, which are summed up to a total food footprint of Ajmer city which equals to 0.05729785ha/capita. The conclusion drawn from the study reveals thatby making simple choices about the foods we eat, we can contribute to reducing our Ecological Footprint. Keywords: Ecological footprint, food footprint, sustainable consumption, compound methodology, global hectares. Introduction In today’s world, human population is increasing and viable agricultural lands are decreasing rapidly. This scenario will lead to global food scarcity. Ecological Footprint is a sustainability index that calculates the environmental burden of human population in spatial terms. Footprint measures land and sea area which is required to provide resources to human population and for absorbing its emissionsEcofootprint (EF) is an accounting method which focuses on land appropriation which provides a way to measure and communicate environmental impacts induced by humanson Earth. What we choose to eat, where it comes from, and how it’s grown and produced has an impact on the earth. By making simple choices about the foods we eat, we can contribute to reducing our Ecological Footprint. Factors influencing food choice include: i. Biological factors (hunger, palatability of food, taste, sensory aspects), ii. Economic issues (cost, income), iii. Physical measures (ease of access to food, education, specific skills, time constraints), iv. Social ideas (culture, family, peer-group pressures, meal patterns), v. Psychological factors (mood, stress, guilt), vi. Individual’s beliefs, attitudes and knowledge about food. 21st century consumers have become aware of their impact on environment and their own health through food choices they make for themselves. Food footprint is estimated as the total amount of land needed for crop cultivation, pastures and fisheries in addition to land and ocean area needed to absorb the carbon emissions related to production, processing, and transportation of food. Land area in footprint calculations is expressed in global hectares, which is required to produce the food and fiber, absorb wastes, generate energy and provide space for roads, buildings and other infrastructural developments. Methodology For this study of food footprint for Ajmer, calculations were based on Compound method in which average national consumption data were used as proxies for Ajmer data. The Food Footprint of Ajmer has been calculated for the years 2008-10 using national data. The estimate of the national Ecological Footprint of food per capita was the starting point for assessing Ajmer’s Footprint of food. In order to calculate the Food Footprint of Ajmer, the population of Ajmer was multiplied by the national per capita Ecological Footprint of food. The data for world yield of each crop was obtained from FAO’s statistical database on the Internet. The city area of Ajmer was studied for estimating footprint of food. Calculations of Food Footprint for Ajmer city: For food footprint calculations, the data used was based on the average consumption of an Indian citizen; Ecological Footprint of a resident of city was then constructed using the average footprint size for an Indian citizen. The per capita Ecological Footprint International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 3(1), 99-102, February (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 100 for each product was calculated by dividing the consumption per capita of a product by the product’s associated productivity. The total consumption footprint (CF) of Ajmer was then calculated by multiplying the average per capita Indian Ecological Footprint by the total population of Ajmer. Map-1 Study area- Ajmer City International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 3(1), 99-102, February (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 101 The study includes six food categories (max. consumption) for analysis of food footprint of Ajmer city, namely i. Cereals, ii. Dairy, iii. Fruits, iv. Vegetables, v. Beverages, vi. Other crops. The calculation of Indian Ecological Footprint per capita was completed by the use of an Excel spreadsheet model developed by Mathis Wackernagel. The rows of the spreadsheet represent resource types, while the columns contain the productivity, production, import, export and consumption of these resources. The total consumption is calculated by subtracting total exports of a resource type from the sum of its production and imports. The final column represents the Ecological Footprint per capita. The per capita Ecological Footprint for each product was found by dividing the consumption per capita of a product by the product’s associated productivity. The Ecological Footprint per capita would be: (Production + Imports – Exports)/ Population of India = Ecological footprint Yield per capita The numerator represents the consumption per capita, while the denominator represents the average global yield. 7 Table-1 Calculation of food footprintS. No Food Category Yield (kg/ha) Production (t) Import (1000$) Import (t) Export (1000$) Export (t) Consumption (t) Footprint (ha/cap) Land Category Cereals 1 Wheat 2704 75800000 643916 1793209 58 237 77592972 .000000027 Arable 2 Rice 33029 144570000 0 0 8908 54885 144515115 .000000042 Arable 3 Maize 24401 18960000 2031 4273 592045 2722715 16236558 .000000006 Arable Dairy 4 Chicken 37050 2240000 28 23 819 576 2239447 0 Pasture 5 Cow milk 11286 42890000 0 0 3791 7089 42882911 .000000036 Pasture 6 Hen Egg 117491 2670000 532 294 66095 67259 2603035 0 Pasture Fruits 7 Bananas 349829 21766400 0 0 6319 16662 21749738 0 Arable 8 Mangoes 63000 13501000 80 104 163622 240858 13260246 .000000002 Arable 9 Apples 76506 2001400 51636 58401 8070 32655 2027146 0 Arable Beverages 10 Tea 17011 949200 30658 19586 469274 193459 775347 0 Arable 11 Coffee 8396 288000 40928 26476 327897 152610 161866 0 Arable 12 Coca Beans 3355 10180 17469 8331 33 13 18498 0 Arable Other Crops 13 Pulses 7522 820000 187953 351230 1446 2002 1169228 .000000001 Arable 14 Groundnut 14326 9183000 0 0 27183 29583 9153147 .000000006 Arable 15 Oil seeds 2997 119000 27854 44859 23570 23574 140285 0 Arable 16 Jute 22772 1840000 36915 136389 8397 38664 1937725 0 Arable 17 Natural rubber 18200 819000 337 125 33317 13069 806056 0 Arable 18 Sugarcane 725551 355520000 0 0 0 0 355520000 .000000004 Arable 19 Tobacco 14054 520000 5234 928 347166 173345 347583 0 Arable Vegetables 20 Potatoes 149256 22090000 30 120 11021 81627 22008493 .000000001 Arable 21 Pumpkin 97222 3500000 0 0 9430 5087 3494913 0 Arable 22 Tomatoes 179169 8585800 26 33 37050 134845 8450988 0 Arable International Research Journal of Environment Sciences______________________________________________ ISSN 2319–1414 Vol. 3(1), 99-102, February (2014) Int. Res. J. Environment Sci. International Science Congress Association 102 Results and Discussion The spreadsheet of the Ecological Footprint calculations for Ajmer gives the total Ecological Footprint of food, based on national data is 0.05729785ha/capita. Different food categories have varying footprint, Cereals with maximum footprint and Beverages with the lowest footprint for Ajmer city. Food footprint can also be broadly categorized into arable and pasture land areas. Food Footprint- Food Category Wise0.000000010.000000020.000000030.000000040.000000050.000000060.000000070.00000008 Cerals airy Fruits Beeres he cs Vegtables Food categoriesfootprint (ha/capita) Figure-1 Graph showing food footprint of varying food categories Table-2 Footprint categorized into land types Land Category Total ha/cap Footprint of Ajmer (ha/cap) Arable Land 0.000000082 0.0174807 Pasture Land 0.000000036 0.03981715 Food Footprint- Land Category wise31%69% Arable land Pasture Land Figure-2 Graph showing food footprint into land types Analyzing the results: The calculated value of Food footprint comes to be 0.572gha which is 31.5% of the total ecological footprint of Ajmer city being the second largest component of per capita ecological footprint. Similarly, the research work by Chambers et al, 2004 presents food footprint for Scotland to be 1.55 gha or 29% of Scotland’s total ecological footprint. According to findings of the research,largest component in the food carbon footprint was cereals, while in the case of London, the meat consumed occupies largest part of food footprint. Conclusion It could be drawn from the results that for a step towards sustainable consumption, strong effort is required to develop an agenda of research which links agriculture, environment, society and health concerns together and apply it to daily consumption patterns. As city residents, we can make sustainable food choices which can help our city grow sustainably with a smaller footprint. By making simple choices about the foods we eat, we can contribute to reducing our Ecological Footprint. This will ensure a great quality of life today and for future generations. Recommendation- Eating Green: i.Eat less of non-vegetarian diet, ii. Rare visit to restaurants, iii. Less consumption of dairy products., iv. Less consumption of soft drinks. v. Prefer eating seasonal and local fruits and vegetables. vi. Avoid consumption of packaged snacks and junk food. vii. Use of an energy efficient refrigerator. viii. Less consumption of bottled water. References 1.Frey S. and Barrett J., The Footprint of Scotland’s Diet. The environmental burden of what we eat, A report for Scotland’s Global Footprint Project (2006)2.Athira R. and Subha V., Ecological Footprint Analysis- An overview AJER 12-19 (2013)3.Bond S., Ecological footprints- A guide for local authorities published by WWF- UK, Panda House, Wayside park, Godalming (2002)4.European Commission Food consumer science. Lessons learnt from FP projects in the field of food and consumer science, Brussels, (2007b)5.Tunza Developing sustainability.together 3(2) 12 (2005)6.FAQ- Ecological footprint quiz by Center for sustainable economy (2002)7.Wackernagel, M. The Ecological Footprint of Santiago de Chile. Local Environment (1) 7-25 (1998)8.City limits A resource flow and ecological footprint analysis of Greater London. Commissioned by IWM (EB) Chartered Institution of Waste Management Environmental Body, Prepared by Best Foot Forward (2002)