The Problem With Food, or “Where Is It All Going to Come from?”

Present Case: Food production is adequatein quality and quantity to feed the currentpopulation.

So why are there still hungry people?

Hunger is caused by two BIG problems:

1) Huge increases in human populations-Outstrips the local food production in many areas-Remember where population is growing the fastest?

2) An inadequate food distribution system-What causes the problems in the system?-Think Politics, Corruption, and Human Nature

In the FUTURE…-The capacity for increased food production will cease, and there will be limits on the availableproduction.

REMEMBER MALTHUS!!!

If the population continues to grow at its currentpace, it will double within the next 80-100 years.

Food production would have to DOUBLE just to keep pace with population.

Quantity vs. Quality-As developing countries become moreindustrialized, the demand for higher qualityfoods goes up

“From Rice to Steak”

-At the same time, some of the best farmland is being taken out of production, and used for otherpurposes.

Think “Houses, ethanol, and Wal-Marts”

How Do We Increase Production?-Historically, we would increase the amount of land that we would farm.Well, THAT’S not going to happen…..

Most recently, we have increased the yieldper acre farmed.

But this is HARD on the environment!

Land available for agriculture is limited byphysical and ecological considerations such as slope, floodplain, and elevation

Food CropsOf 270,000 species of plants only about 3000 have been used as agricultural crops, and of those, only about 150 have been grown on a large scale.

Most of the world’s food supply comes from14 major crop plants.

In Order of Importance:1) wheat2) rice3) maize4) potatoes5) sweet potatoes6) manioc7) sugarcane

8) sugar beet9) common beans10) soybeans11) barley12) sorghum13) coconuts14) bananas

Location of Major Food Growing Areas Worldwide

Major Food Production Areas in the U.S.

Other Crops:

Crops not intended to be eaten directly are generally called forage crops.

These crops are for feeding animals such ascattle and other domestic animals.

Forage crops include things like hay, alfalfaand straw.

Lands that are marginal for agriculture can be used for other purposes. Ex: Steeper slopes can be used for growing trees(silviculture) Rangeland for domestic animals can be locatedin areas where it is unsuitable for farming.

Limiting FactorsAgricultural limiting factor is the one

factor that is available in the least supply in comparison to the need ofthe crop.Ex: Micro/macro nutrients, water

Cash vs. Subsistence CropsCrops grown to be eaten locally and/or rightaway are known as subsistence crops.

Generally, these crops are sold locally, or eaten by the farmer himself.

Crops may be traded or bartered, and do not move great distances or require specialhandling.

Cash crops are grown to be sold, and maybe transported very long distances. Many cash crops could not be used for food.

Ex: Tobacco, spices, tea, coffee, flowersBecause they are transported long distances,cash crops require special conditions, suchas refrigeration. The special handling of some crops accountsfor their higher prices in markets worldwide.

Since cash crops provide hard currency tolocal and national governments, there isa financial incentive to grow them insteadof subsistence crops which will provide food.

This sometimes works against the provisionof adequate food locally.

Approaches to AgricultureThere are three major approaches to agricultural production:1)Production based on mechanized technology

-high demand for resources

-little use for biological technologiesfuel, water, inorganic fertilizers, land

2) Production based on biological technology-land conservation, water conservation,reduction in energy usage, reduced use Of fertilizer and pesticides

3) Organic food production-very low impact, organic vs. inorganic fertilizer, few if any pesticides.

Studies have shown that many organic foods areHIGHER IN NUTRITION than non-organics.

Demand- vs. Resource-Based AgricultureDemand-based: production is determined by Economic forces, and limited by economics.

Resource-based: limited by environmental sustainability and good use of resources.

Production may exceed demand by a large margin, resulting in lower prices overall for the crop.

Production is usually lower than demand, resultingin higher prices for the grower.

Maximum vs. Optimum Yield-Maximum is based solely on the crop yield, while optimum is basedalso on the ability of the agro-systemsability to sustainably produce without damage. Most modern agriculture is based on Maximum, not Optimum

Limits to Food ProductionNutrients: chemical elements which are needed for plant growth and reproduction.

Macronutrients: elements required in relativelylarge amounts by all living things. Ex: oxygen, nitrogen, potassium, carbon, sulfurcalcium, magnesium The ‘Big Three” for plants: Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium (N, P, and K)

2) Micronutrients: elements (typically metals) needed in small or trace amounts.

Ex: zinc, copper, iron, chlorineThese are often added as an additional supplement to the soil as indicated by soil tests.

Liebig’s law of the Minimum: The growthand distribution of crops will be limited by the single factor that is in shortest supplyor has the greatest impact.

Synergistic Effects: The change in availabilityof one nutrient affects the response of an organism to some other resource.

Ex: Nitrogen on a lawn without water..low growth

Now water the lawn….explosive growth, the grass can utilize much more water than before becauseof the nitrogen.

At least until it runs out of water or nitrogen.

Water AvailabilityThe largest limit to food production“Dry Land” farming: using only rain-very dependent on the climate, whichis changing globally.Irrigation: using water from other sources for crops.

Constant supply, but sources are being over-utilized and drained.

-Irrigation improvements-drip, vs. flood irrigation-less lost to evaporation, more goes directly to the plant

Chemigation: drip irrigation takes fertilizer/pesticide directly to plants, reduces need (loss to runoff)

Under- vs. MalnourishmentThe terms are not interchangeable!

Undernourishment means that an individual does not receive enough calories each day to survive, and will eventually die of lack of energy.

Malnourishment means that the individual lacks specific nutrients, such as proteins or vitamins.

Ex: kwashiokor (protein), scurvy (vitamin C) Eye/vision degeneration (vitamin A)

Measures of Food Production1) Supply on hand, measured in days

How long would all of the food last if production stopped right now? 1995: 62 days

1996: 49 daysThis number will vary depending on world climateand production, as well as consumption rates. 2) Per Capita Food Production: the amount of food produced per person.

The Green RevolutionThe Green Revolution was a post-World War IIidea that agriculture could be developed to produce great amounts of food.

Needs: Lots of man-made inorganic fertilizersLots of pesticides (post WWII was big for this)

Intensive farming practices, including lots ofirrigation and heavy tillage of the land.

Improved varieties of plants that yield more food

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Trinitrotoluene.svg

The Green Revolution focused on threemain crops:

Wheat Rice CornSome success:

Mexico, 1944: imports ½ of its wheatMexico, 1956: Mexico is self-sufficient in wheatMexico, 1964: Mexico exports ½ million tons of wheat

U.S.: Corn yields more than quadrupled from 20 bushels/ha (ha = hectare, which = 2.47 acres)to 100-250 bushels/ha

Success in the developed countries as well!

In developed corn-producing areas, yields increased by an average of 346%!

The end of the Green RevolutionFor all of its promise, the Green Revolution neverdid end worldwide hunger. Pests rapidly developed resistance to pesticidesused over and over again.

Many new crops had higher yields, but neededmuch more fertilizer and water.Any gains were quickly negated by large gainsin population.

The Green Revolution relied heavily on fossilfuels, inorganic fertilizers, which are madefrom fossil fuels, and irrigation. In the same time that corn production rose by346%, fossil fuel use for agriculture rose 810%.

Ratio of Corn out : Energy in1945: 3.5

1983: 2.5

Poor nations simply cannot afford the expenseof high-input agriculture. -Fuel-Pesticides-Fertilizers (Mostly Nitrogen and Phosphorous)-Equipment and maintenance-Irrigation In addition, yield responses to increasing amountsof fertilizer have slowed. (Liebigs laws)

1 ton of N/ha = 20 bu increase, vs1 ton of N/ha = 2 bu increase

Biotechnology, the next “Green Revolution”

Biotech and gene engineering promises to endhunger and malnutrition by making crops more efficient in a number of ways:

Increased yield/plantPlants that can grow in marginal conditionsPlants that produce their own protectivepesticides, reducing loss to pestsPlants that produce more/different nutrients

Biotech has the possibility of being a problemas well…

Introduced genes may cause allergies in crops that did not cause allergies previously. Patent fights over who has the right to grow thecrops. (how can you patent a natural gene?)

Increased costs to farmers (what about thepoor subsistence farmers? )Loss of genes to wild plants (= resistance toConventional Pesticides)

A genetically modified crop which has a gene to cause the plant to become sterile after the first year.

The Terminator Gene

What implications does this have for subsistencefarmers?

This gene is intentionally introduced by thebiotech seed companies to prevent the farmersfrom using seeds to re-plant year after year.