A map showing the environmental pressures from global food production has been developed by researchers, to identify ways of creating more sustainable and just food systems. The analysis looked at greenhouse gas emissions, water use, habitat disturbance and pollution, such as effluent or fertiliser run off from farms. The study, by the University of Leeds and the University of California Santa Barbara, revealed that almost half of all environmental pressures from food production came from just five countries - India, China, the United States, Brazil and Pakistan. The study also showed that more than 90% of the environmental pressures from land-based food production were concentrated in just ten percent of the Earth’s surface. In addition, the space required for dairy and beef farming accounts for about a quarter of the cumulative footprint of all food production. This “big picture” spatial analysis is helping to identify problems in food production but also opportunities.