Energy and Modern Agriculture

Steven Briggs Biology Department

UC San Diego

Key Questions

• What are the connections between energy and agriculture?

• Are these connections good or bad for society?

• How should we manage these connections?

Historical context of innovations in agriculture

Domestication

Agriculture emerged in 9 areas on 4 continents separately between 8500 BC and 2500

BC.

Plant and animal domestications are the most important innovations in human history

148 species of large mammalian herbivores, only 14 domesticated

200,000 species of higher plants, only 100 yield agronomic products

From 70,000 BC to 8000 BC worlds population was

stable at 1 million people

All Sources: Diamond, Jared Evolution, consequences and future of plant and animal domestication

All: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v418/n6898/fig_tab/nature01019_F2.html

Irrigation Supplementation of precipitation by storage and transportation of water to the fields for the proper

growth of agricultural crops

Crucial Event Karez Irrigation System

Modern Irrigation

Area equipped for irrigation as percentage of cultivated land

Ancient Irrigation

284 Million Hectares of Irrigated Land Worldwide in 1998

Fao.org

Regular Natural Flooding

Tigris River

Euphrates River

Mesopotamia The Fertile Crescent

550 B.C.

Egypt and Mesopotamia 6,000 B.C.

Source: Unknown

Source: Unknown

1. Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 1. http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/y4683e/y4683e07.htm

Birth of Industrial Agriculture Revolutionizing & Commercializing Farming

Goal: Expend less energy planting and harvesting, produce more food

Seed Drill 1701

Plough 1730

Thresher 1786

Productivity Increased

Farmers Decreased

05

101520253035

1550 1600 1650 1700 1750 1800 1830 1860

Bus

hels

per

Acr

e

In 1850, only 22% of the British workforce was in

agriculture!

Source: Unknown Source: Unknown

Source: Unknown

Fossil Fuels Forever Changed Agriculture Steam Tractor

1868

In 1830, it took about 250 labor hours to produce 100 bushels of

wheat. By 1955, it only took 6 labor hours!

The shift to fossil-fueled engines after WW I coupled food prices to fuel prices

1. Source: Mikenbridge

Source: Unknown

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RUSSELLSTEAM.JPG

Chemical Fertilizers N-P-K Fertilizers

Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium

Promotes leaf growth, protein synthesis and chlorophyll formation

Promotes root, flower and fruit development

Promotes stem and root growth and protein synthesis

Source: USGS

Couples

Source: Unknown 1. Source: Yuri Panchul 2. Source: Cynthia Gibson

1. http://sazanka.org/about/ 2. http://daylilyandhostagardens.com/images/Bare_Root_Plants_Shipped.JPG

The Green Revolution The introduction of modern farming techniques and higher-yielding

pest-resistant varieties of crops to significantly increase crop production

Started in 1943 in Mexico by Norman Borlaug For which he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970

Decouples

1. Source: Life Magazine 1970

1. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/norman-borlaug/3066946

Impact of the Green Revolution on Food Production and Cost

http://ucelinks.cdlib.org:8888/sfx_local?sid=google&auinit=GS&aulast=Khush&atitle=Green+revolution:+the+way+forward&id=doi:10.1038/35093585&title=Nature+reviews.+Genetics&volume=2&issue=10&date=2001&spage=815&issn=1471-0056

Production Increased and Price Decreased for Major Food Crops

Decouples

. . . but coupling has reversed the price trend! Source: Khush, G.S. (2001) Nature Reviews Genetics. 2: 815-822

The Green Revolution also impacted food animal production efficiencies

Chickens currently grow to market weight in six to seven weeks - fifty years ago it took three times as long. This is due to genetic selection and nutritional modifications, not the use of growth hormones, which are illegal in the US.

Decouples

Source: Unknown

Crop Protection

Second Generation Synthetics – dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT)

Herbicides, Insecticides, Fungicides

Spraying Fields with Pesticides

First Generation Synthetics – Toxic Arsenic and Hydrogen Cyanide

Ancient Protection - Salt

Today’s synthetics – organophosphate insecticides and acidic herbicides

Couples

1. Source: Iowa State Univ. Plan Disease Clinic

2. Source: Good Planet Source: Unknown 1. http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/info/plant-diseases/septoria-leaf-spot

2. http://www.goodplanet.info/en/encyclopedia/2008/09/04/the-stockholm-convention/

Percent of US income spent on food

Source: National Assoc. State University and Land Grant Colleges, 1997

http://www.goodplanet.info/en/encyclopedia/2008/09/04/the-stockholm-convention/

Food as a percentage of income

Seasonal Produce is no longer Seasonal U.S. Season for these Produce Items, but we still buy these items year round

Eggplant June - Oct

Tomatoes June - Oct

Corn June - Nov

Rhubarb Apr - Nov

Sweet Red Pepper

Jun - Sept

www.cuesa.org

Green Onion Apr - Oct

Bell Pepper Jun - Sept

Couples

Source: Stew Leonard's

1. http://www.stewleonards.com/pictures-videos/stewpix/departments

What about Biofuels? Food versus Fuel

Perc

ent

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$0.50

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$1.50

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$2.50

$3.00

$3.50

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Percent US CornProduction used for FuelEthanolPrice of US Corn (USdollars)

Source: Unknown

Innovations in agriculture

• Hunter-gatherers • Domestication of crops and livestock • Industrialization of farming and food • Plant breeding • Petroleum for fuel • Chemical inputs • Global distribution • Dual use of crops

Food Energy (kWh) to Produce 1 Lb

Corn 0.43 Milk 0.75 Apples 1.67 Eggs 4 Chicken 4.4 Cheese 6.75 Pork 12.6 Beef 31.5

Energy Required to Produce One Pound of Food

True Cost Blog, February 24, 2010

Manure fertilizer production consumes a lot of energy

Water use efficiency for livestock and crops

Hoekstra & Hung (2003)

Chapagain & Hoekstra

(2003)

Zimmer & Renault

(2003)

Oki et al.

(2003) Average

Beef 15977 13500 20700 16726 Pork 5906 4600 5900 5469

Cheese 5288 5288 Poultry 2828 4100 4500 3809

Eggs 4657 2700 3200 3519 Rice 2656 1400 3600 2552

Soybeans 2300 2750 2500 2517

Wheat 1150 1160 2000 1437 Maize 450 710 1900 1020

Milk 865 790 560 738

Potatoes 160 105 133 m³ water/ton

harvest

Food Processing

California’s food processing industry generates over $50 billion in gross annual revenues, consuming more than 600 million therms of natural gas and over 3,700 million kilowatt hours of electricity that are used in refrigerated

warehouses.

Food processing is the 3rd largest industrial energy user in California!

Couples

Source: Unknown 1. Source: © Copyright 2014, Jets AS

1. http://standard.jetsgroup.com/en/Sanitary-systems/Buildings/References/Food-processing-plants.aspx

Food Transportation

Cattle Transported by Boat

Fruit Truck

Couples

1. Source: van der Ploeg International bv Source: Unknown

2. Source: Dan Block

1. http://www.ploegint.nl/ploegint/cattle-export_transport.html 2. https://www.flickr.com/photos/91828644@N00/2640321630/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Buy local?

It may require more energy to grow local than to ship from a long distance What matters is the TOTAL environmental footprint from farm to table

Source: Home, DIY, and Stuff

1. http://www.homediystuff.com/winter-greenhouse-farming-in-japan/

Consequences of innovations

• Coupling of food prices to fuel prices – Fertilizers – Crop protection chemicals – Year-round availability – Global distribution – Dual use of crops – Meat-based diet

Coupling can be dangerous if fuel prices rise abruptly

The food price index can be overlaid On the oil price index

Source: http://www.paulchefurka.ca http://www.smallwood.com.au/charts.htm

Food price index overlaid with significant riot in the Middle East and North Africa

Source: Marco Lagi, Karla Z. Bertrand and Yaneer Bar-Yam of the New England Complex Systems Institute

http://necsi.edu/research/social/food_crises.pdf

Fuel is getting more expensive

Source: Bill Conerly Forbes Magazine

http://www.forbes.com/sites/billconerly/2013/05/01/oil-price-forecast-for-2013-2014-falling-prices/

Genetic Engineering (GE)

2013 World Food Prize: Marc Van Montagu, Mary-Dell Chilton, and Robert T. Fraley

• GE is a natural process of gene transfer from bacteria to plants • GE discovered and made useful by 2013 World Food Prize recipients • Plant breeders substitute a useful gene for a bacterial gene so that the GE

plants have new traits like insect resistance • Enables more food production per unit fuel

Decouples

1. Source: Ghent University 2. Source: Syngenta 3. Source: ©2014 The World Food Prize Foundation

1. http://www.worldfoodprize.org/en/laureates/2013_laureates/

Decouples

Enables more food production per unit fuel

Source:GPS4US Source: http://www.gps4us.com/news/post/Global-positioning-and-geographic-information-systems-help-create-an-environmentally-friendly-farm-20111228.aspx

Environmental Footprint Food Label

• Enable market forces to drive more food production per unit fuel – Fuel: number of passes by the tractor over the field – Fertilizer: number of lbs. per acre – Water: number of inches of irrigation – Land: number of acres per ton of harvest

• Total footprint is the sum • Paid for voluntarily by the farmer and certified by

independent agent

Decouples

Source: Free vector clipart

http://all-free-download.com/free-vector/vector-clip-art/right_foot_print_clip_art_5751.html

Consequences of innovations

• Coupling of food prices to fuel prices – Fertilizers – Crop protection chemicals – Year-round availability – Global distribution – Dual use of crops – Meat-based diet

• Decoupling of food prices from fuel prices – Biotechnology-enabled breeding (GE and other) – Precision agriculture – Local markets – Plant-based diet – Environmental footprint food label

Summary • Fuel price is a major driver of food price

– Fuel is used to produce food • power farm machinery • transport seeds, harvest, and food • make fertilizer • make crop protection chemicals

– Food can be used to produce fuel • Dual use crops such as maize and sugarcane are sold into the

highest priced markets

• Innovations that increase agricultural productivity, reduce meat consumption, reduce transportation costs, and enable wise consumer choices will help to decouple food and fuel and keep food affordable