Assessment of Food Miles and Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Promoting Home Gardening

Abstract

Rapid urban city growth of the world has been identified as one of the critical challenge facing humanity. This unexpected growth has mainly caused to urban poverty and it is leading to the phenomenon of the “urbanization of poverty”. Therefore, ensuring food security in urban households is a greatest problem and today, most of the world organizations have mentioned that the Home Gardens (HG) as the best way to improve food security in an urban environment. This research study mainly focused on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission in food production and transportation and related indicators such as food vehicle kilometers and fossil fuel use. Collection of primary data from selected HG was done using a structured questionnaire survey and data were collected from a random sample of ten peri- urban farms of Kesbewa Urban Council area. Using the information gathered by the survey, amount of GHG emitted within a month when one ton of each indicator crop produced and transported was calculated. All calculation was done on monthly basis. The results revealed that a huge quantity of vegetables are transported to Kesbewa in each month from distance markets. This activity consumes a large amount of fossil fuel and emits GHG to the environment. the average distance that one ton of a food item had transported was 173.135 Km and when food items with short shelf life such as vegetables were transported a long distance under ambient conditions their quality deteriorates rapidly. On average, a 5-ton lorry runs about 13 per liter of diesel. In order to transport one ton of food to Kesbewa 13.32 liters of diesel is required. This amount will increase over time along with the population increase. 12.1152 tons of GHG would emit if 60 tons of food items were transported to Kesbewa. Therefore, it can be justified the importance of promoting HGs in Kesbewa.