Spatial-temporal patterns of the food provisioning service based on calories in Guangxi, China

As society and food consumption changes, more people are paying attention to the food supply chain as part of a healthier lifestyle. Understanding the spatial-temporal characteristics of food provisioning services is important for policy decisions regarding production capacity, especially in places with unstable food availability and unbalanced nutrition. The food provisioning service of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR) was assessed based on calories from 2000 to 2015. The nutrition consumption standards were also used to calculate food provision calories. The results showed that in 2015, the caloric output totaled 4.46×10¹⁴ kJ; calories from grains and cereals were the most abundant, followed by sucrose, and then oils (grains and sucrose were 85.47% of the total caloric intake). From 2000 to 2015, calories from sucrose, fruits, and vegetables increased significantly, while the calories from grains and oils fluctuated. The overall food provision increased steadily, resulting in a surplus; the calories per person increased from 7.87×10⁶ kJ (2000) to 9.31×10⁶ kJ (2015). In 2015, the total and surplus calories supported population sizes of 103.28 million and 53.03 million, respectively (with a 'well-off' quality standard), which exceeded the total GZAR population (55.18 million). However, the proportion of calories from grains decreased yearly and was only 52.2% by 2015. In 23.3% of the counties and cities, less than 50% of the calories from grains were provided, indicating that calories were unevenly distributed, and some counties had a low grain-calorie capacity. The high caloric output areas were in the plains, basins, and valleys of the central-southern GZAR, where sufficient light, heat, flat fertile land, and water resources were available (e.g., Xingbin District, Wuming and Hengxian counties, and the cities of Guigang and Qinzhou). The low caloric output areas were in the northwest mountain region and urban areas. Therefore, protecting croplands in the high-yield regions and developing unused lands for sustainable food provision are important for the GZAR. Optimizing agricultural production for the local conditions, improving the production management and large-scale production capacity levels, and strengthening the regional grain trade may contribute to the sustainable development and security of the GZAR food supply.