Agriculture, Biotechnology & the Future of Food

Chap 10

Hunger

• lack of basic food required for energy and for meeting nutritional needs. Unable to lead a normal healthy life

• Root Cause of Hunger:

POVERTY

1.2 billion people live in absolute poverty:lack of income to meet the basic needs of food, shelter & clothing. ($1/day)

FAO Hunger Map

Modern Food Production Methods

Food Sources: Livestock

• Chickens, Pigs, other fowl (US) (fyi)• ~7.6 billion chickens slaughtered 2008• 2009: 56 lb/capita• ~93 million pigs slaughtered 2008• 2012: 249 eggs consumed/person• Ruminants

– 4 chambered stomach– Cattle, sheep, goats, water buffalo, camel, llama – Cellulose Human Food– Produce ~100 million tons of methane,+ 30 million

through manure decomposition.

Cattle (US)• 1/1/09 94.5

million head of cattle

• 2008—27.3 billion lbs consumed

• 190 million lbs of milk produced

fyi

• The Meatrix• Farm Locations• Use of Sow Gestation Crates

Food Sources: Aquaculture

• Production of food from aquatic habitats. Esp. important source of protein in Asia & Europe.

• Freshwater: fish grown in the same pond w/plants, or in rice fields. Waste acts as fertilizer. – carp, tilapia, crayfish, eels, catfish, salmon.

• Mariculture: ocean fish. Limited production Mussels and Oysters are grown on rafts (Portugal), artificial pilings (WA)

• Issues w/aquaculture– Confinement stresses fish– Spread of disease & parasites– Concentration of PCBs, heavy metals in

fishmeal fed to stocks, fish waste

Limits to Food Production

• Land available.

• Upper limit of production for amount of fertilizer applied.

• Climatic changes will tend to decrease yield.

• Water Availability

Without modern technology, little is sustainable.

“The Green Revolution”:

• Development of larger yields through breeding, tech, chemical use. 1950s– Norman Borlaug: Father of Green Revolution. Nobel Peace

Prize 1970. died Sept 2009

• Improved Irrigation Methods: Drip method to slowly add water.

• Chemical Pesticides & Herbicides• Increasing Available Land: including Hydroponics—

growth in fertilized water on artificial substrate.• Eating Lower on Food Chain: less production needed. • Genetic Modification: Similar to goals of the Green

Revolution, but by directly modifying DNA

Pest Control

• Major Pests: Insects, nematodes, bacterial & viral disease, weeds, vertebrates (rodents, birds)

• Pesticides: Herbicides, insecticides.– Broad Spectrum: Kills target pest as well as others– Narrow Spectrum: Kills only target pest.– End up in watersheds and waterways

DDT: Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane• Excellent mosquito repellent• Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 1962• Banned in US 1972• Slow to break down• Fat-Soluble, biomagnifies in birds, fish.

• Natural Plant Chemicals• Integrated Pest Management

(IPM)– Natural Predators of Pests (ex:

ladybugs eat aphids that destroy roses)

– Plant diversity in crops– Insect bacterial diseases– Pheromones of insects– Narrow Spectrum Pesticides– Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) use-soil

bacteria used as insecticide

Bt toxins present in peanut leaves (bottom image) protect it from extensive damage caused by European corn borer larvae (top image).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis

The Organic Movement and Locovores

• To Be Organic:– No pesticides on land for 3 years– No GMOs– No synthetic fertilizers or most pesticides– Animals: No hormones or antibiotics, access

to outdoors

• Locovore: – buying food grown within 100 miles of home– CSAs— Fernbrook

Genetically Modified Organisms– Placing genes of one species into another.– Pros:

• Bred w/better nutrients (golden rice)• Durability & production (tomatoes, salmon, papaya)• Built-in pest resistance (Bt, Roundup Ready)

– 93% of US soy & cotton, 86% US corn

– Cons:• Decreasing biodiversity, interbreeding w/wild crops• Possibly creating super resistance in pests/weeds• Allergies• Terminator Gene

+Prevents spread of genes since seeds can’t reproduce

– Creates monopoly for developers