The GIFTS project developed a physical Multi-Regional Input-Output (MRIO) database using FAOSTAT data. This MRIO tracks production, consumption, and trade (in tonnes) for 640 products across 181 countries from 2013 to 2020. A key achievement of the project is the completion of the MRIO database along with environmental extensions to estimate greenhouse gas emissions, and land, protein, and calorie footprints of agri-food products. The MRIO database is built on the Supply and Utilization Accounts (SUAs), which encompass data on supply and demand for agri-food products in tonnes, including those used for processing. Additional data were used to fully map flows of co-products and derivatives across sectors, ensuring that total supply matches intermediate and final demand in the SUAs. Bilateral trade data was also used to trace import and export flows, ensuring consistency of data between trading partners.
A major contribution made by GIFTS through its secondment in FAO has been to develop a module that links feed demand in the SUAs to the specific animal production sectors in the MRIO table. This is based on average feed rations per animal head from FAO's model GLEAM, which consider optimal energy requirements and the diversity of livestock systems per country. Feed items like crops and by-products were categorized and matched with those in the SUAs. The process calculates the share of each feed category relative to total demand, taking into account livestock numbers over time. The total feed demand is distributed among animal groups and linked to the animal-derived products, ensuring the full representation of meat and dairy supply chains in the MRIO database. Finally, environmental extensions were implemented, including data on cropland areas, caloric and protein content, and greenhouse gas emissions linked to crop and livestock production. These cover life cycle emission sources, such as fertilizer application, crop residue burning, manure management and application, paddy rice production, and enteric fermentation.
The methodology for the construction of the framework will be submitted in the form of a scientific publication, highlighting applications to measure import dependencies and environmental footprints of food consumption. The results analyse trends of environmental impacts and trade-offs between food and feed consumption, providing insights into key drivers, products, and trading partners involved. The publication will be accompanied with the release of the dataset through an Open Access and trusted repository, to ensure that it is available to the research community and the general public for further reuse. The construction of the MRIO database, preliminary results and applications have been presented in multiple events and workshops, including the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Livestock Environmental Assessment and Performance Partnership, the Policy Pitch Competition at the MSCA Conference 2023, initiatives to promote the role of Women in Science, and the international conference LCA Foods 2024. The MRIO model is being enhanced for policy-relevant applications in collaboration with FAO, including the assessment of feed footprints or the links between agricultural land expansion and deforestation.
