Chapter 12

Food, Soil, and Pest Management

12.1

WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY AND WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO ATTAIN?

Health Problems

Many of the Poor Have Health Problems Because They Do Not Get Enough to EatFood security- ability to obtain food on a daily basis

Food insecurityRoot cause: poverty

Chronic Hunger and MalnutritionMacronutrients- 2,200 cal/day provide energy

Carbohydrates – 4 cal/gProteins – 4 cal/gFats – 9 cal/g

Micronutrients – help the body functionVitamins - organicMinerals - inorganic

Chronic undernutrition -hunger – not consuming enough caloriesChronic malnutrition- not consuming enough necessary nutrients, especially protein. 1 out of 3 people on Earth are malnourished. 1% of children in the US and 50% in SE Asia

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies occur more often in people in developing countries

Iron – is needed for the formation of hemoglobin and certain enzymes, for transporting oxygen in the blood, to all parts of the body, and for the immune system- 2 billion people lack sufficient iron. Can cause anemia which causes fatigue and makes infections more likely.

Vitamin A – leading cause of preventable blindness. UNICEF has estimated that 124 million children in the world are chronically deficient in vitamin A.

Iodine – deficiency of this mineral is the greatest cause of reduced mental capacity. 1.9 billion are affected (just add iodine to salt!). Stunted growth, and goiters (enlargement of the thyroid gland) also result from a lack of iodine. (600 million suffer from goiter)

Folic acid deficiencies are linked to neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Leaf vegetables, whole grains and fruits.

2 main protein deficiencies are kwashiorkor (bloated stomach) –

and marasmus (undernutrition and protein- means wasting away)

Acute Food Shortages Can Lead to Famines

Usually caused by crop failures fromDroughtFloodingWarOther catastrophic events

Eating Too MuchOvernutrition1 billion people have health problems

because they don’t have enough food to eat, and 1.6 billion have health problems because they eat too much!

-health problems are similar to those who are underfed

• Lower life expectancy

• Greater susceptibility to disease and illness

• Lower productivity and life quality

WHAT IS FOOD SECURITY AND WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO ATTAIN?

1.MANY OF THE POOR HAVE HEALTH PROBLEMS AND DON’T GET ENOUGH TO EAT.

2.MANY PEOPLE SUFFER FROM CHRONIC HUNGER/MALNUTRITION

3.MANY DO NOT GET ENOUGH VITAMINS AND MINERALS

4.ACUTE SHORTAGES LEAD TO FAMINE

12.2

How is food produced?

Food Production Has Increased Food Production Has Increased DramaticallyDramaticallyThree systems produce most of our

foodCroplands: 77%Rangelands, pastures, and feedlots:

16%Aquaculture: 7%

Importance of wheat, rice, and corn – do not have to be refrigerated and are nutritious. Provides most calories in developing countries

Industrialized Crop Production Relies on High-

Input MonoculturesIndustrialized agriculture,

high-input agricultureGoal is to steadily increase crop yieldPlantation agriculture: cash crops

Increased use of greenhouses to raise crops

Low-Input Polycultures

Traditional Agriculture Often Relies on Low-Input Polycultures

Traditional subsistence agricultureUses human labor and draft animals to

produce enough food for the family’s survival

Traditional intensive agricultureFarmers increase their yields with more

labor, fertilizer and water

Polyculture- crop diversityBenefits over monoculture- decreases risk

of losing crop to pests, bad weather, etc,..

Slash-and-BurnA type of polycultureUsed by subsistence farmersInvolves burning and clearing small

plots of tropical forest, growing crops for a few years, and then moving to new land when soil is depleted of nutrients.

Usually leave land abandoned and fallow (unplanted) for 10-30 years. This is sustainable cultivation.

Industrialized Crop Production

Green Revolution: Green Revolution: 1- develop and plant monocultures of

selectively bred or genetically engineered high-yield varieties of key crops

2- produce high yields by using large inputs of fertilizers, pesticides and water

3- increase the # of crops grown by multicropping

The Second Green RevolutionSince 1967Producing more food on less land protects

biodiversity by saving forests, wetlands, grasslands and easily eroded mountains.

Crop acreage 25% and food production 200%!

World grain production tripled from 1950-1996.

Criticisms of the Green Revolution

Lots of water neededIncreased salinization and water loggingIncreased use of pesticides and fertilizersThe growing of grain monocultures reduced the variety of grains grown.

In India, for example, there were about 30,000 rice varieties prior to the Green Revolution, today there are around ten.

Decreased productivity of land since land was farmed so extensively

Criticisms of the Green Revolution

Did not increase food security since famines are caused by socioeconomic dynamics and failure of human actionMonoculture= less variety eatenMany subsistent farmers couldn’t afford the equipment and chemical needed to grow the crops.

Global Outlook

Total Worldwide Grain Production (Wheat, Corn, and Rice)

Crossbreeding and Genetic EngineeringGene Revolution

Cross-breeding through artificial selectionSlow process and can combine traits from species that are

genetically similar.

Genetic engineeringGenetic modified organisms (GMOs): transgenic organismsAltering an organisms genetic material by adding/deleting/changing

DNA segments to produce/eliminate certain traits

Age of Genetic Engineering: developing crops that are resistant to:Heat and coldHeat and coldHerbicidesHerbicidesInsect pestsInsect pestsParasitesParasitesViral diseasesViral diseasesDroughtDroughtSalty or acidic soilSalty or acidic soil

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.gen.breeding/

Is it a salmon or a Frankenfish?Genetic engineering is faster than

traditional crossbreeding, costs less and allows for insertion of genes from almost any organisms into crop cells.

On the horizon are bananas that produce human vaccines against infectious diseases such as hepatitis B; fish that mature more quickly; cows that are resistant to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease); fruit and nut trees that yield years earlier, and plants that produce new plastics with unique properties.

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.gen.salmon/

Meat Production and Consumption

Animals for meat raised inPastures- ½ of world’s meat.

Livestock graze on grass on rangelands/enclosed pastures

Feedlots/CAFO- livestock fed grain or meal from fish

Meat production increased fourfold between 1961 and 2007 – a sign of affluence which increases need for grain

Fish and Shellfish ProductionAquaculture, blue revolution (46% of

fish/shellfish)World’s fastest-growing type of food productionDominated by operations that raise herbivorous

species – carp, catfish and tilapiaInvolves raising marine and freshwater fish in

ponds and underwater cages

Polyaquaculture- growing crops and aquaculture simultaneously.

Agricultural wastes fertilizefarm ponds and rice paddiesto produce phytoplankton eaten by the carp

A fish cage

World Fish Catch, Including Both Wild Catch and Aquaculture

Hydroponics- Growing plants in nutrient rich water, usually in a greenhouse

advantagesCan be grown under controlled conditions, almost anywhereYields and availability are increasedcan be grown on rooftops, underground with artificial lighting and on floating bargesFertilizer/water are reducedNo need for pesticidesNo soil erosion

disadvantagesHigh initial costMany think they need a lot of technical knowledgeCould threated profits of large and powerful industrialized companies

12-2 How is food produced?

1.Food production has increased dramatically

2.Industrialized crop production relies on high-input monocultures

3.Traditional agriculture relies on low-input polycultures

4.Crossbreeding and genetic engineering

5.Meat production6.Fish and shellfish7.Hydroponics