PPT
PPT
PPT
Main Topics
Methods of producing food Increasing food production Environmental effects of food production
Issues of sustainability
Land
Labor
Capital
Fossil fuel energy
Land
Labor Capital
Land
Labor Capital
Plantation agriculture
Nomadic herding
1,500
1,000
500
0 1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
Green Revolutions
First green revolution Second green revolution (developed countries) (developing countries) Major International agricultural research centers and seed banks Fig. 12.4, p. 265
To increase rice yields: More, bigger grain per stalk (heavier head) More stalks per acre (higher density) More plantings per year
Heavier heads required: more fertilizer, water, hybrids with shorter stalks (to prevent lodging) Higher density plantings required: more fertilizer, constant water, hybrids with smaller root system More plantings per year required: more fertilizer, year round water, pesticides
More fertilizer, water, pesticides & hybrid seed required: more energy, esp. from fossil fuels more cash, especially US dollars
Worse yet it escaped, and is interbreeding with other bees making them aggressive & low producing too!
Human health
Biodiversity Loss Loss and degradation of habitat from clearing grasslands and forests and draining wetland Invasive species out competing natives Killing of wild predators to protect livestock Loss of genetic diversity from replacing thousands of wild crop strains with a few monoculture strains Erosion Loss of fertility
Soil
Air & Climate Greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use Other air pollutants from fossil fuel use Pesticide drift from spraying
Aquifer depletion Water diversions
Water
Surface and groundwater pollution from pesticides, fertilizers & livestock Overfertilization (eutrophication) of lakes and slow-moving rivers from runoff of nitrates and phosphates from fertilizers, livestock wastes, and food processing wastes
Human Health Nitrates in drinking water Pesticides residues in drinking water, food, and air Contamination of drinking and swimming water with disease organisms from livestock wastes Bacterial contamination of meat Farm worker exposure & working conditions
Fig. 12.10c, p. 271
Vermont: A case of agricultural innovation and environmental degradation Developing & disseminating new breeds: Merino sheep Jersey cow Morgan horse Green Mountain potato
1.5 million sheep in VT in mid-1800s Hillsides denuded After Civil War, sheep industry failed in VT Farms abandoned
5 cows earn $357.50 per year, while 40 sheep net only $40 per year -- Vermont Board of Agriculture, 1868
And Cows still with us. 1525 of VTs 6800 farms are dairy
Served New England market for milk, butter & cheese. In 1960, 10,000 dairy farms produced half the milk that the current 1525 farms produce now! Average herd size Production per cow
Jersey cows bred in VT helped make VT butter and cheese famous!
Breeding & other ag research remain import to VTs economy and environment.
In Summary:
Supplying food for the worlds growing population was and still is an issue. Policy and research play a big role. Efforts to increase production have focused on:
Improved varieties thru breeding and genetic engineering
Agriculture has multiple impacts on the environment and human health Sustainable agricultural techniques are growing but far behind conventional