What environmental factor is significantly affected by food waste?

Food waste has a profound impact on food security, making this the most relevant choice. When food is wasted, it not only represents a loss of resources but also reduces the overall availability of food for consumption. As food waste contributes to the inefficiency of the food supply chain, it exacerbates food scarcity, particularly in regions that are already vulnerable to food insecurity. This means that the resources used to produce, transport, and distribute the wasted food—including water, land, and labor—are squandered, and the nutritious food that could have been fed to people is lost. Consequently, addressing food waste is critical in efforts to improve food security globally.

The other options relate to environmental factors but do not capture the direct link to food waste as effectively as food security does. For instance, while biodiversity can be influenced by agricultural practices and waste management, the connection to food waste is less direct. Similarly, air quality might be impacted in some contexts by decomposing food waste, but it is not the primary factor affected. Agricultural productivity can be affected indirectly as well, but generally not in the immediate sense regarding food waste.