Food

SEEA EA

SEEA EA groups food under Biomass provisioning services. We group Food as a flow from Real Assets and thus have not separated out here. Please see the Biomass provisioning services section in Raw Materials.

CICES

Name Used: Cultivated Aquatic Plants for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: the in-situ aquaculture of plants and algae for three primary purposes: nutritional consumption, material extraction, and energy production. Regardless of the end-use, these cultivated plants are quantified by type and amount, serving as metrics for their respective categories.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Cultivated Terrestrial Plants for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: the intentional growth of terrestrial plants, fungi, and algae for various applications. These include nutritional purposes, where crops are classified by amount and type such as cereals or soft fruits; material purposes, where fibers and other materials are categorized by amount, type, use, and media like land or freshwater; and energy production, quantified by the amount and type of biomass produced. These cultivated plants serve as essential resources, each measured by specific metrics to assess their respective contributions.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Wild Plants (Terrestrial & Aquatic) for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Wild Plants (Terrestrial & Aquatic) for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Wild Animals (Terrestrial & Aquatic) for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Wild Animals (Terrestrial & Aquatic) for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Reared Animals For Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Reared Animals for Nutrition, Materials, or Energy refers to the practice of raising animals for various purposes, including food, materials, and energy production. When reared for nutrition, animals and their by-products are quantified by amount and type, such as beef or dairy. For material purposes, fibers and other materials obtained from these animals are measured by amount, type, use, and the media they are derived from, such as land or water. Animals reared for energy, including mechanical energy, are also categorized and quantified by amount, type, and source. These practices underscore the multi-faceted contributions that reared animals make to human society and various industries.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Reared Aquatic Animals for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Reared Aquatic Animals for Nutrition, Materials, or Energy refers to the cultivation of aquatic animals through in-situ aquaculture for various end-uses. When raised for nutritional purposes, these animals are quantified by amount and type. For material applications, excluding genetic materials, the same metrics of amount and type are used. Animals reared as an energy source are also categorized and measured by amount and type. This illustrates the multiple roles that aquacultured animals serve, from providing food and materials to acting as a source of energy.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Surface Water Used for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Surface Water Used for Nutrition, Materials, or Energy encompasses the various applications of surface water resources, including freshwater and coastal or marine waters. When used for drinking, the water is quantified by its amount, type, and source. For material uses that don't include drinking, metrics involve the amount and source of the water. In the context of energy, freshwater surface water and coastal or marine water are both accounted for, measured by their amount, type, and source. This highlights the essential role of surface water in meeting diverse human needs, from sustenance and industrial applications to energy generation.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

Name Used: Ground water used for Nutrition, Materials or Energy

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Ground Water Used for Nutrition, Materials, or Energy refers to the utilization of subterranean water reserves for various applications. This includes ground water used for drinking, quantified by the amount, type, and source; ground water used for material purposes other than drinking, measured by the amount and source; and ground water utilized as an energy source, also quantified by the amount and source. These categories reflect the versatile roles that ground water plays in meeting diverse human needs, from hydration and material production to energy generation.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: included in definition

ESVD 2020

Name Used: Food

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Food as categorized by TEEB in ESVD include fish, meat, plants or vegetable food, and NTFPs (Non-Timber Forest Products) specifically for food, and ‘other’ food.

Economic Value Calculated: Yes

Valuation Methods: The ESVD 2020 report offers a total of 4,042 value estimates, with 473 specific to food. See the Valuation Methods Appendix.

Metrics: $/ha/yr; ESVD is working on other qualitative and quantitative metrics.

FEMA ESV 2022

Name Used: Food Provisioning

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Producing crops, fish, game, and fruits

Economic Value Calculated: Yes

Valuation Methods: Avoided Cost and Market Price

Metrics: cost avoidance value is based on the production savings to farmers and improved farm profitability

IPBES NCP

Name Used: Food and feed

Service Category: Material NCP (Materials And Assistance)

Definition: Production of food from wild, managed, or domesticated organisms, such as fish, bushmeat and edible invertebrates, beef, poultry, game, dairy products, edible crops, wild plants, mushrooms, honey. Production of feed for domesticated animals or for aquaculture.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: Extent of agricultural land—potential land for food and feed production; Abundance of marine fish stocks

ENCORE

Name Used: Fibres and other materials

Service Category: Provisioning

Definition: Fibres and other materials from plants, algae, and animals are directly used or processed for a variety of purposes.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: Food production, raw materials

TNFD Environmental Assets & Ecosystem Services

Uses SEEA EA

InVEST

Name Used: Crop Production

Service Category: Agriculture/Nutrition

Definition: The InVEST Crop Production models estimate crop yield and nutrient value for a fixed set of crops, using user-supplied landcover information. The models consider the impact of climate and optionally fertilizer rates to evaluate crop yield. The aim is to explore the economic and nutritional benefits of different cropping systems while also assessing their impact on ecosystem services.

Economic Value Calculated: Yes

Valuation Methods: Estimates of crop yield, comparison of economic returns for different cropping systems

Metrics: Crop yield per hectare, nutritional information for 33 macro and micronutrients, quality control via observed results from the same region. The Percentile Model covers 175 crops worldwide, listing yields for the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 95th percentiles in each of the crop's climate bins. The Regression Model focuses on 10 staple crops and requires additional data on fertilizer application rates.

Swiss Re BES Index

Name Used: Food Provision

Service Category: Provisioning Service

Definition: The role of ecosystems in providing the conditions for cultivation of food and feed.

Economic Value Calculated: No

Valuation Methods: n/a

Metrics: Crop Cover (%) as an indicator Fraction of cultivated land represented as crop cover.