Abstract:

The contradiction between socioeconomic development and land demands for food consumption has become one of the key issues for sustainable development. However, there is a lack of studies on land demands for food consumption at the urban level. Therefore, this study used the CPI index method to estimate food consumption of urban and rural residents in Beijing during 1980-2016. Based on the concept of virtual land, it revealed land demands as well as pressures due to human dietary change. We also explored land demands for food consumption under different scenarios in the future. Our results are as follows: human food consumption in Beijing has changed to more vegetables, fruits, and livestock products, and there are obvious differences in food consumption of urban and rural residents. Land demands for food consumption presented a U-shaped trend during this period. The per capita land demand for meat, eggs and milk, vegetables, and fruits increased significantly, while land demands for cereals have been decreasing. In 2016, land demands per capita for food consumption amounted to 1227.04 m²/a, resulting in the total land demands of 266.62×10⁴ hm², with animal product consumption accounting for 70.36% and urban consumption accounting for more than 95%; and the pressure index for land demands reached 14. With a healthier diet, it could save 95.20×10⁴ ~153.32×10⁴ hm² of land, equivalent to 5~8 times of present arable land area in Beijing. Thus, to some extent, a healthy food dietary structure could also alleviate the pressure of land demands for human food consumption.

Key words: food consumption, land demands, land pressure, CPI index method, food security, dietary structure