Section 5: Food Production, Nutrition and Environmental EffectsSection 5: Food Production, Nutrition and Environmental Effects

• How much has food production increased?

• How serious is undernutrition and malnutrition?

• How serious of a problem is overnutrition?

• What are the environmental impacts of our food choices?

• Can China’s population be fed?

Food ProductionFood ProductionTripled between 1950 -1985,

since then it has leveled off• Africa, former Soviet Union

and China seen biggest drops

World produced enough food to meet basic needs, but still 1 in 6 do not get enough to meet nutritional needs

Poverty, inequality, war, famine, corruption

Human NeedsHuman Needs Large amounts of macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats)

Small amounts of micronutrients (A, C, E, iron, iodine, calcium)

• Chronic under nutrition: disease increase, stunted growth etc.

• Malnutrition: can not get enough protein mainly eating corn, rice, wheat

• Huge childhood problem

Malnutrition Malnutrition UN Estimates:• 5.5 million each year die

prematurely due to effects of under nutrition.

• Each day 15,100 people --- 80% of which are children

• In U.S. estimates are 11 million do not have access to enough food

World Food ProductionWorld Food Production

Malnutrition vs. Under nutrition Malnutrition vs. Under nutrition Shortages in developing countries Shortages in developing countries

Fig. 14-16 p. 287

Avg. male needs about 2,500 cal per day

Over nutritionOver nutritionFood intake exceeds energy

use and causes body fat• Too many calories not

enough exercise • Lower life expectancy,

heart disease, lower productivity and quality of life

• In developed countries it is 2nd leading preventable cause of death after smoking

Environmental Effects of Food ProductionEnvironmental Effects of Food Production

Biodiversity lossBiodiversity loss

Soil degradationSoil degradation

Air pollutionAir pollution

Water shortages and erosionWater shortages and erosion

Human healthHuman health

See Fig. 14-18 p. 290See Fig. 14-18 p. 290

Enviro impacts of food production

Need to know these page 290

How it used to be done

Section 6: Increasing Crop ProductionSection 6: Increasing Crop Production

• What is the gene revolution?

• What is genetically modified food?

• Can we continue to increase food supplies? If so, how?

Increasing World Crop ProductionIncreasing World Crop Production

Crossbreeding and artificial selection Crossbreeding and artificial selection

Genetic engineering (gene splicing) Genetic engineering (gene splicing)

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Continued Green Revolution techniques Continued Green Revolution techniques

Introducing new foods Introducing new foods

Working more land Working more land

Cross Breading and Artificial SelectionCross Breading and Artificial Selection

• Done for centuries to produce “improved” crops

• Bigger corn and tomatoes

• Slow process

Genetic EngineeringGenetic Engineering

• Slicing the DNA of one species into another

• Quicker• More cost efficient• Allows insertion of almost

any species• More than 2/3 of foods in

U.S. have GE ingredients• Resistant to heat, drought,

pests, salty soil, less fertilizer………

Genetic EngineeringGenetic Engineering• Example: Citrus trees

normally take 6 years to produce fruit yield in only 1

• Rice crops that contain more protein or more iron or that can be grown with far less water

• Focus so far more on needs of developed countries vs. developing country needs ($$$)

Study these pros and cons page 292

Frankenfoods or SaviorFrankenfoods or Savior• Considerable controversy

over GMOs, GMF, GE Foods

• What are the unintended consequences?

• Can these new species be recalled if there are problems?

• “Massive uncontrolled experiment?”

• Critics say move slowly• Require labeling of GMF

Can We Continue to Produce MORECan We Continue to Produce MORE

• Lack of resources such as water, fertile soil and environmental factors may limit our ability to continue to yield more crops.

• Can we just spread the “Green Revolution” around the world to produce more?

• Will GE uniformity lead to more vulnerable crops to pests, diseases, harsh weather?

Can We Continue to Produce MORECan We Continue to Produce MORE• Will people be willing to try

new foods? (superfoods)• Fried ants or toasted butterflies

anyone?• Is irrigating more land the

answer?• Is cultivating more land the

answer?• Can we grow more food in

urban areas?• Why not just waste less food?

70% currently wasted

Mmmm, bacon!!!

Section 7: Producing More MeatSection 7: Producing More Meat• How are rangelands used to produce meat?

• Is producing more meat the answer to the world’s food problems?

• What are the effects of overgrazing?

• How can meat be produced more sustainable?

RangelandsRangelands

• Many feel need to increase meat production to feed population

• As incomes rise so does meat consumption

RangelandsRangelandsAre grasslands in

temperate and tropical climates that provide foraging and browsing areas for animals

• Cattle, Sheep, goats are on 42% of rangeland

• Pastures are managed grasslands

• Renewable resource

Producing More MeatProducing More Meat• Meat products good

source of protein

• Per capita meat production doubled since 1950

Feedlots: animals are fattened for slaughter in densely populated confined areas

CAFOs = 43% world beef

Factory FarmsFactory Farms

• Cattle, pigs, poultry • As many as 100,000 cattle,

10,000 hogs shoulder to shoulder

• What to do with waste? • Open Lagoons?• Consume large amount of

grain and fish instead of feeding on grass

• Antibiotics and steroid use

See page 295 box

OvergrazingOvergrazingOccurs when too many

animals graze for too long and exceed the carrying capacity of the grassland area

• Kills vegetation• Reduces grass cover• Causes erosion• Compacts soil• Damages watershed• Desertification

Overgrazing: SolutionsOvergrazing: Solutions

• Control numbers by figuring out carrying capacity

• Move from riparian zones and locate watering hole away from sensitive zones

• Move animals around• Replant overgrazed areas

and/or use fertilizers

Producing More MeatProducing More Meat

Feedlots Feedlots

Rangelands Rangelands

Improved rangeland management Improved rangeland management

Efficiency Efficiency

Environmental consequences (Connections p. 295) Environmental consequences (Connections p. 295)

Kilograms of grain needed per kilogram of body weightKilograms of grain needed per kilogram of body weight

Beef cattleBeef cattle 77

PigsPigs 44

ChickenChicken 2.22.2

Fish (catfishor carp)

Fish (catfishor carp) 22

Fig. 14-22 p. 297Fig. 14-22 p. 297

What is this?

Section 8: More Fish?Section 8: More Fish?

• Where do we get our fish and shellfish?

• What are the impacts of over fishing?

• What is aquaculture?

Catching and Raising More FishCatching and Raising More Fish

FisheriesFisheries

Fishing methods (See Fig. 14-24 p. 299)Fishing methods (See Fig. 14-24 p. 299)

Overfishing Overfishing

Commercial extinctionCommercial extinction

AquicultureAquiculture

Fish farming and ranchingFish farming and ranching

Where do we get fish and shellfish?Where do we get fish and shellfish?Fisheries: concentrations of

aquatic species suitable for harvesting from a body of water

• 55% from the ocean• Fish and shellfish supply 7%

of world’s food• Mostly from coastal zones• Primary source of protein

for more than 1 billion (mostly developing countries)

Where do we get fish and shellfish?Where do we get fish and shellfish?

Aquaculture: using feedlot management to raise marine and freshwater fish.

• using cages and nets• Rivers, lakes and oceans• China the world’s leader

• 1/3rd of world’s marine fish harvest is used for animal feed, fishmeal and oil

Kilograms of grain needed per kilogram of body weightKilograms of grain needed per kilogram of body weight

Beef cattleBeef cattle 77

PigsPigs 44

ChickenChicken 2.22.2

Fish (catfishor carp)

Fish (catfishor carp) 22

Efficiency of converting grain to animal protein

How are fish harvested? How are fish harvested?

High Tech Global Fishing Fleets Roam World

• Sonar, GPS, spotter planes, huge nets, long fishing lines

• Large factory ships catch, process and freeze product

How are fish harvested?How are fish harvested?Trawling: dragging a funnel

shaped net along bottom of sea

• Used to catch bottom dwellers

• Shrimp, cod, flounder, scallops

• Scrapes up everything on bottom leaving it bare

• Clear cutting ocean floor

Bycatch thrown back

How are fish harvested?How are fish harvested?

Purse-Seine Fishing: Surrounding schools of fish with boats and a huge net to capture entire school

• Net drawn in tighter and tighter

• Tuna, herring, mackerel• Uses spotter planes often• Led to huge dolphin kills

How are fish harvested?How are fish harvested?

Long lining: putting out lines up to 80 miles long with thousands of hooks

• Swordfish, tuna, shark, halibut, cod

• Huge bycatch• Endanger turtles,

dolphins, whales etc.

How are fish harvested?How are fish harvested?

Drift netting: using huge nets to trap fish

• Huge bycatch• Kill many unwanted

species• Danger to marine mamals• Since 1992 UN ban

driftnets over 1.6 miles in international water (voluntary compliance)

Over fishingOver fishing• Tragedy of Commons• Not a new problem, but

becoming global and tech driven

• Commercial Extinction• Adding to the problem are

development along the coasts, wetland and estuary pollution, coral reef and mangrove forest destruction

• New high demand for “healthy” fish

AquacultureAquacultureRaising fish and

shellfish for food, like crops

• World’s fastest growing food production

• What do you think are pros and cons of this technique?

Section 9-10 : Government Ag Policy and Sustainable FarmingSection 9-10 : Government Ag Policy and Sustainable Farming

• How do governments influence agriculture?

• How can the world become more sustainable with agriculture?

Government Agricultural PolicyGovernment Agricultural Policy

Artificially low pricesArtificially low prices

Subsidies Subsidies

Elimination of price controlsElimination of price controls

Food aidFood aid

Solutions: Sustainable AgricultureSolutions: Sustainable Agriculture

Low-input agricultureLow-input agriculture

Organic farmingOrganic farming

ProfitableProfitable

Increasing funding for research in sustainable techniques

Increasing funding for research in sustainable techniques

See Fig. 14-29 p. 302See Fig. 14-29 p. 302

mmm…chicken for dinner