Feeding the World

1
Chapter 11

• Feeding the World

2
Joel Salatin and Polyface Farm

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vKxTfQpv8xGA

3
24,000 people starve to death daily
4
1993 by Kevin Carter in Sudan during famine.
Child attempting to reach a feeding center.
5
Nutritional Requirements

• An average person requires 2,200 Kilocalories
  /day to perform daily activities.
• With extended food deficit, a person gets
  deprived of energy and becomes more susceptible
  to disease especially children.
• According to WHO, approx. ½ of the worlds
  population is malnourished- lacking the correct
  balance of proteins, carbs., vitamins, and
  minerals. (different than undernourished)

6

• Food Security- when people have access to
  sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets
  their dietary needs for an active and healthy
  life.
• Food Insecurity-people do not have access
  to(economic, social and physical availability) to
  food.
• Famine-extreme food insecurity that leads to a
  large number of deaths over a short period of
  time.
• Anemia- Fe deficiency is the most widespread
  nutritional deficiency in the world. (Grains,
  herbs, vegetables and meat can reduce anemia)

7
Over 1 billion are overweight!
8
Humans Eat a variety of Food

• Grains are the largest component of the human
  diet (corn, rice, wheat, rye)
• Meat is the 2nd largest (beef, veal, pork, and
  lamb) and poultry (chicken, turkey and duck)

9
Reasons for Under and Malnutrition

• 1 reason is POVERTY! The lack of resources that
  allows one access to food as well as distribution
• Political and economic factors play an important
  role as well. (Refugee populations, Hurricane)
• Large amounts of agricultural resources are
  diverted to feed livestock and poultry rather
  than people.
• Global grain production per capita has been level.

10
The Energy Subsidy in Agriculture

• Fossil fuel and human energy are both needed in
  order to grow, harvest, produce and prepare food.
  The energy input per calorie of food produced is
  called energy subsidy.
• Small scale agriculture requires a small amount
  of energy subsidy.
• Modern agriculture requires significantly more
  energy in the form of fossil fuels. Approx.
  10-calorie energy input for every calorie eaten.

11
Green Revolution

• The average food item travels 1240 miles from the
  farm to your plate! So we spend far more energy
  on transporting food than from the food itself.
• The Green Revolution was a shift in farming
  methods from physical labor to mechanized large
  industrial operations during the 20th century.
  This also included fertilization, irrigation and
  improved crop varieties. These changes increased
  food production and more people were fed.

12
Mechanization

• In developed countries less than 5 of the
  workforce works in agriculture.
• In developing countries 40-75 of the working
  population is employed in agriculture.
• Mechanization led to large farms producing staple
  crops that were more profitable than small farms
  due to the economies of scale (average cost of
  production fall as the output increases).
  Especially true of single crop farms.

13
Irrigation

• 16 of the worlds agricultural
• land is irrigated and produces 40
• of the worlds food.
• While irrigation uses water more
• efficiently, and brings water to places where it
  it scarce, it an also deplete groundwater and
  draw down aquifers, cause salt water intrusion
  and contribute to soil degradation through water
  logging and salinization.

14
Fertilizers

• Fertilizers are used to replace lost organic
  matter and nutrients as agriculture depletes
  them.
• Fertilizers contain essential nutrients for
  plants- mainly N, P, and K.
• Organic fertilizers-are composed of organic
  matter from plants and animals (manure and crop
  waste)
• Synthetic or inorganic fertilizers are produced
  commercially. Easy to apply, can target nutrients
  needed by a certain crop, and plants easily
  absorb them. However, when in runoff, they cause
  algae and other organisms to grow and can lead to
  eutrophication.

15
Monocropping

• Dominant agricultural practice in the US with
  wheat and cotton.
• Allows large expanses of land to be planted and
  then harvested at the same time.
• Can lead to environmental degradation through
  soil erosion and pest infestation
• Monocropping removes habitats for predators that
  might control the pest population.

16
Pesticides

• Kill or control organisms that people consider to
  be pests. They can be natural or synthetic.
• Insecticides target insects, herbicides target
  plants that compete with crops. Some are
  broad-spectrum some are selective
• The use of pesticides has made agriculture more
  efficient but with consequences
• Some are persistent (remain for a long time) like
  DDT that bioaccumulates and gets transferred to
  consumers.
• Pests become resistant to applications
• May kill organisms that benefit farmers such as
  pollinators, and or enter groundwater.

17
Pesticide Treadmill
18
Genetic Engineering

• GMO crops and livestock can create greater yield
  and food quality, reduce pesticide use, and
  increase profits for the business that use them.
• Some people have safety concerns about GMO, but
  there has been no evidence to support harm
• Some claim it will have negative effects on
  biodiversity.
• There are no regulations in the US for GMO.

19
Alternatives to Industrial Farming Methods

• Shifting agriculture-clearing land and using it
  for a few years until the soil is depleted of
  nutrients. Then slash and burn to deforest a new
  area and begin again.
• After a while desertification occurs through
  these unsustainable farming practices and the
  soil is used for nomadic grazing

20
Sustainable Farming
21
Sustainable Agriculture methods

• Fulfills the need for food and fiber while
  enhancing the quality of the soil, minimizing the
  use of nonrenewable resources, and allowing
  economic viability for the farmer.
• Often requires more labor than industrial ag. so
  cost goes up.
• Intercropping- 2 or more crop species are planted
  in the same field at the same time to promote a
  synergistic interaction between them. Ex corn
  and peas
• Crop Rotation-rotates the crop species in a field
  from season to season ex peas and corn.

22
Sustainable Farming Methods Continued

• Agroforestry-Intercropping trees with vegetables.
  Trees acts as wind breakers and catch soil from
  blowing away, preventing erosion while bearing
  fruit and firewood.
• Contour plowing-plowing and harvesting parallel
  to the topographic contours of the land helps
  prevent erosion by water.
• No-Till Agriculture-Farmers leave crop residues
  in the field between season and the intact roots
  holds soil in place preventing erosion and
  reduces CO2 emissions.

23
Sustainable Faming Methods
Agroforestry
Contour Plowing
Intercropping
24
No-Till Agriculture
25
Integrated Pest Management

• IPM uses a variety of techniques designed to
  minimize pesticides inputs.
• Crop rotation, intercropping and the use of
  pest-resistant crop varieties prevent pest
  infestation. Agroforestry can provide habitats
  for pest eating birds.
• Farmers make observations early on and treat
  pests as needed only. This has yielded a higher
  crop production and a significant reduction in
  pesticide use.

26
Organic Agriculture

• Is the production of crops without the use of
  synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
• Uses ecological principles and works with the
  natural systems rather than dominating them.
• Keeps as much organic matter and as many
  nutrients in the soil on the farm as possible.
• Maintains the soil by increasing soil mass,
  biological activity, and beneficial chemical
  properties.
• Reduces the adverse environmental effects of
  agriculture.

27
High Density Animal Farming

• Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)-
  is a high density animal farming method that
  keeps large quantities of animals in indoor and
  outdoor structures designed for maximum output.

28
Free Range Chicken and Cows

• Are less likely to spread disease, thus dont
  require antibiotics
• Animals graze on natural land and return
  nutrients to the soil through manure. But does
  require a greater amount of land thus more
  expensive.

29
Harvesting of Fish and Shellfish
30
Fisheries-a commercially harvestable population
of fish w/in a particular ecological region
Fish do not belong to any country or nation
therefore there is no incentive to protect them.
This has led to a dramatic decline in fish
populations.
Salmon Spawning in a fishery
31
(No Transcript)
32
Fishery Collapse

• In 2006, it was noted that 30 of fisheries
  worldwide had experienced a 90 decline in fish
  population.
• Most marine fish are now caught by large nets, or
  by long fishing lines bearing 100s of large
  hooks. Those living close to the bottom are
  caught by dragnets.
• Dragnets damage the ocean bottom habitats by
  destroying coral, sea sponges and plants.
• Leads to the loss of juvenile fish of the target
  species as well as the loss of non-targeted
  species (BYCATCH)

33
Turtle Bycatch
34
Seal Bycatch
35
Everything Bycatch
36
The highest rates of bycatch are linked to shrimp
trawling. Ratios of bycatch to usable catch have
been estimated to be as high as 201 (Clucas
1997). Some have estimated that 20,000,000 tons
of bycatch are caught and discarded every year.
These enormous values of incidental catch are due
to the fact that trawl nets are simply dragged
through the pelagic area (open ocean) and this is
where most larger animals, such as cetaceans,
sharks and sea turtles, spend most of their lives.
Once these animals are caught in the nets they
cannot swim back out. They then drown because
they cannot swim to the surface for air.
37
Sustainable Fisheries Act of 1996

• The act calls for the protection of critical
  marine habitat which is important for both
  commercial fish species and non-target species.
  If a species is considered to be in danger ,
  there can be no fishing until the population
  recovers.
• Individual transferable Quotas(ITQs) give quotes
  to the total allowable amount of catch.

38
Aquaculture

• The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish,
  shellfish, and seaweeds. It usually requires
  keeping the organisms in enclosures and providing
  them with food and antibiotics.
• Most of the catfish, trout and ½ of the shrimp
  and salmon are produced this way.
• Can alleviate stress on overexploited fisheries.
• Their waste water can contaminate the rivers or
  oceans, may harm wild fish populations by
  spreading disease.