APES Chapter 13 Food Resources Student Notes

Objectives
1. List four major types of agriculture. Compare the energy sources, environmental
impacts, yields and sustainability of traditional and industrial agriculture.
2. Evaluate the green revolution. What were its successes? Its failures? Summarize
the benefits and problems of livestock production over the history of agriculture.
3. Define interplanting and explain its advantages. List and briefly describe four
types of interplanting commonly used by traditional framers.
4. Summarize the state of global food production. Define malnutrition and
undernutrition, and overnutrition. Indicate how many people on Earth suffer
from these problems and where these problems are most likely to occur. List six
steps produced by UNICEF to deal with malnutrition and undernutrition.
Describe a strategy to reduce overnutrition.
5. Discuss the use of genetic engineering techniques to improve human food supply.
6. Summarize environmental impacts from agriculture.
7. Summarize food distribution problems. Describe the possibilities of increasing
world food production by increasing crop yields, cultivating more land, and using
unconventional foods and perennial crops.
8. Discuss problems associated with the production of livestock on rangelands.
9. Describe trends in the world fish catch since 1950. Assess the potential for
increasing the annual fish catch and use of aquaculture. Distinguish between fish
farming and fish ranching.
10. Assess the pros and cons of agriculture subsidies and international food relief.
Describe strategies that you feel would be most sustainable.
11. Define sustainable agriculture. Summarize how the United States could move
toward creating a more sustainable agricultural system.
I.

How Food is Produced

A.
15 plants and 8 animal species feed 90% of the world.
1. This big four: wheat, rice, potato and corn
2. Which are annuals that need to be planted each year
3. Beef, chicken & pork (includes milk, eggs & cheese)
4. 2/3s of the world relies on these grains and meat products.
5. 2/3s of the world does not eat: meat___________________
2. Types of Agricultural Systems
1.
Industrialized (high input): agriculture uses large amounts of energy
(fossil fuels) , water, commercial fertilizers and pesticides to produce
huge quantities of: single crops or livestock animals
a.
25% of all cropland is usually in developed countries.
b.
Plantation agriculture: primarily in tropical developing
countries. Cash crops such as: bananas, coffee, soybeans,
sugarcane, cocoa, and vegetables.

2.

C.

Traditional (2.7 billion people in developing countries)

a.
traditional subsistence farming: raising only enough crops and
livestock for the family survival
b.
Traditional intensive agriculture: increased labor, fertilizer &
water for the family and enough left over which can be sold
for income.

Green Revolution: Change in agriculture, which lead to increased yield per unit
of area. (before, increased yield came from: existing cropland
1.
Planting monocultures of selectively bred or genetically engineered high
yield key crops with emphasis on shifting from plant growth to seeds.
2.
Using fertilizers, pesticides, & water to produce high yields.
3.
Increases intensity and frequency of cropping.
4.
2nd Green Revolution: fast growing dwarf varieties of rice and wheat
bred for tropical and sub tropical climates introduced in developing
countries.
a.
The yields are 2 5 times the traditional methods and it allows
multiple cropping which:
i.
High inputs of fossil fuels
ii.
saves land from destruction
iii.
needs fertile soil, water, & extensive fossil fuels to run
machinery to produce and apply ample inorganic
fertilizers & pesticides.
iv.
Ample irrigation

4. U.S. Agriculture
1.
Biggest industry in the U.S. 18% of the GNP and 19% of all jobs in the
private sector.
2.
0.3% of the worlds farm labor force produces 25% of the worlds food
and :
3.
U.S. residents spend only 10-12% of their income on food, while 18% is
spent in Japan and 40 70 % in developing countries.
4.
Cost: 10 units of nonrenewable fossil fuel for every 1 unit of food :
energy on table
E.

Livestock: Raising animals like cattle, horses, oxen, sheep, chicken & pigs to
provide food, clothing, fertilizer, fuel, and transportation.
1.
developing countries use 20% of worlds food on about 75% of its
cultivated land.
2.
Cattle used for meat and meat products return fertilizer to land and graze
on fallow fields.
3.
World meat production has increased 4 times, while per capita
production rose by 29% (the need and want is increasing there is no
space for it)
4.
Developed countries (1/5 of the worlds population) consume half of the
worlds grain exports.

5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.
11.
F.

A.

Developing countries consume mostly grain and live low on the food
chain (Africa)
Industrialized livestock production is increasing (cattle are fed in feedlots
for 4 month before slaughter or pigs & chickens are raised in populated
pens and fed cropland grains).
Affluent people in developed countries have enormous effects on
resource use, environmental degradation, pollution and disease.
a.
19% of U.S. cropland is used to produce:
b.
37% of grain production is used for livestock and fish, which are
raised for food consumption (70% in the U.S.)
c.
or more of water is used for
d.
14% of the U.S. topsoil loss is associated with livestock grazing
(overgrazing and trampling).
12 15% of the methane in the atmosphere comes from Livestock poop
Nitrogen in commercial fertilizer is converted to NO, a greenhouse gas.
Nitrogen in manure escapes into the air as NH 3, which contributes to acid
deposition.
Livestock produce 21 times more waste than humans and only is
recycled into the soil.

Traditional Agriculture: interplanting which is growing several crops on the

same plot (crop diversity).
1.
polyvarietal cultivation: several varieties of the same crop.
2.
Intercropping: 2 or more different crops that are grown at the same time.
These crops help one another.
3.
Agroforestry or alley cropping: crops and trees are planted together.
Advantages to Polyculture:
a.
Roots are at different depths
b.
Year around plant coverage protects soil from erosion
c.
Different insects for each crop cut down on the use of
insecticides.
d.
Weeds have trouble growing.
e.
Higher yields for each crop are produced.
2. World Food Problems
How much has food production increased?
1.
World grain production between 1950-1990 has tripled.
2.
Per capita production has increased by 36%
3.
Average food prices dropped by one third
4.
Amount of food traded quadrupled
5.
Population growth is outdoing food production & distribution
6.
Reasons for the slowdown in growth of per capita grain production.
a.
Population growth @ 1.5%/yr
b.
Increased affluence which increases demand
c.
Degradation and loss of cropland (due to erosion,
industrialization, and urbanization)
d.
Little growth in irrigation since 1980
e.
10% decline in global grain
f.
Population growth 8 billion by 2025 (6 billion in 1999)

This requires doubling the food production or 2% grain

production increase per year compared to a 1.1-% growth
between 1990 1997. This is IF people have the same diet
constantly.
B.

How many people can the world support? It depends upon:

1.
Quality of life or cultural carrying capacity per person.
2.
Whether food production can be increased
3.
Length of food chain with grain and meat eaters.

C.

Food and Sub Saharan Africa

1.
Per capita food production dropped by 30% between 1960 1994.
2.
Malnutrition and hunger related illnesses cause death for thousands each
day.
3.
of the population doesnt have access to safe drinking water
(cholera and dysentery result).
3.
Infectious diseases cause of the deaths per year.
4.
Rapid population growth (1 million every 3 weeks 2.9% increase).
This creates a young age structure pyramid.
5.
Tsetse fly blocks development of agriculture (fatal disease in livestock
and incurable sleeping sickness in humans).
6.
Severe soil erosion, nutrient poor soils, lack of water for irrigation,
increasing desertification and deforestation.
7.
Political turmoil and wars cause reduced agricultural production and
cause food storage and distribution system problems.
8.
Ways to help the problem
a.
Immunizing children against childhood diseases such as measles
b.
Distribute food evenly
c.
Grow crops on terraced land to increase food production
d.
Grow crops that give high yield without pesticides
4. Undernutrition, malnutrition, and over nutrition
Under nutrition: people who cant grow or buy enough food for their
basic needs.
a.
Less than 90% of the daily calories needed: chronically under
nourished.
b.
Less than 80% of the calories needed: seriously under
nourished. This causes mental retardation and stunted growth.
This makes people susceptible to disease and affects 5 million
of children.
2.
Malnutrition: low amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, &
minerals. (Usually a low protein, high carbohydrate diets). Some people
suffer from undernutrition and malnutrition. (most live in Asia)
a.
Diets low in iron cause anemia and this condition is found most
often in children
b.
Diets low in zinc and iron cause diarrhea, malaria and
pneumonia.
c.
Diets low in iodine (seafood & soil) affects the thyroid gland,
which controls metabolic rate.
1.

3.

Overnutrition: an excessive intake of food (especially fats).

This accounts for 300,000 of the deaths in the U.S. per year.

D.

Producing enough food to feed the world.

1.
Enough food is produced, but it is not equally distributed due to
differences in soil, climate, and political and economic power.
2.
The principal cause of hunger and malnutrition is: poverty.

E.

Environmental effects of producing food.

1.
Agriculture has a greater harmful impact on air, water, soil, and
biodiversity than any other human activity. Degradation of irrigated and
rain fed croplands and rangelands costs $150 to 200 billion in lost crop
and livestock output.
2.
Soil erosion, desertification, salinization and water logging irrigated
lands will limit 10-20%, 7-14% was seriously degraded
3.
Loss of water due to droughts means a loss of wild species that provide
the genetic resources for new foods and improve existing foods.

A.

B.

3. Increasing world food production

Increase crop yield?
1.
Improve strains of plants and expand green revolution technology to new
parts of the world.
2.
Raise harvest index by increasing the photosynthetic product to go into
seed instead of stems and leaves for wheat, rice and corn. The
physiological limit is at 60%.
3.
gene revolutions: use of genetically engineered foods that are resistant to
insects and disease, thrive on less fertilizer, make their own nitrogen
fertilizer, do well in slightly salty soils, withstand drought, & use solar
energy more efficiently.
4.
Usually crops need ample water, good soil, favorable weather, favorable
temperatures, solar intensity, and day length.
5.
Yields may drop due to soil erosion, loss of fertility, increased salinity,
becoming waterlogged, polluted from pesticides, nitrates from fertilizers
and rapidly breeding pests that become part of the genes
Loss of genetic diversity and crop yields
1.
Crop varieties have decreased (97% in the U.S. from the 1940s).
2.
Genetic uniformity increased the vulnerability of food crops to pests,
diseases and harsh weather.
3.
Wild varieties usually reduce the need for yearly plowing and sowing
which reduces soil erosion, which saves water and energy. Usually wild
varieties are resistant to viruses and grow in colder and damper habitats.
4.
Storing seeds in seed banks are risky: seeds die and cannot be
reintroduced because habitats have changed. Therefore, they should not
be used

C.

New foods?
1.
Winged bean and microlivestock (insects) are potential sources of
proteins, vitamins and minerals.
2.
Rely more on polycultures of perennial crops, which are better adapted to
regional soil and climate conditions than animal food crops. Use of
perennials reduces energy use, water, soil erosion, and sediment water
pollution. This would reduce profits of seed companies due to the sale of
annual seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.

D.

Cultivating more land?

1.
30% of the worlds land is cropland.
2.
Clearing tropical rainforests and irrigating arid land- both of which could
have disastrous ecological consequences.
a.
Nutrient poor soils cannot support crop growth for more than a
few years
b.
Unable to sustain food
c.
Irrigation of arid land would require expensive dam projects,
large inputs of fossil fuels to pump water long distances,
depletion of groundwater supplies, expensive maintenance to
prevent erosion, groundwater contamination, salinization and
water logging.
d.
Could accelerate global warming by increasing methane
emissions due to the production of rice.
e.
Decrease input of fertilizers, water and energy.
f.
Would reduce wildlife habitats, biodiversity & ecological
integrity.
g.
Clearing forests would release carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere and accelerate global warming.

E.

Grow More food in urban areas?

1.
Grow food on empty lots, rooftops and backyards.
2.
Recycle nutrient rich animal and human wastes which can reduce water
pollution from runoff of plant nutrients.

A.

B.

4. Catching or raising more fish?

Harvesting more fish and shellfish
1.
pastures are major food producing system behind crops and livestock.
2.
99% of the catch comes from plankton rich coastal waters.
3.
Aquaculture produces fish in ponds and underwater cages (20%) and
from inland lakes and rivers (10%). 1/3 of harvest is used as animal
food, fishmeal and oils.
4.
Population growth exceeds the rate of growth of the worlds fish catch.
How over fishing and habitat degradation affects the fish harvests.
OVERFISHING, this means taking so many fish that too little breeding stock
is left to maintain numbers which can lead to commercial extinction
which makes it no longer profitable to fish for a species.
1.
Fish are renewable resources as long as the harvest leaves enough spawn
2.
Climate changes, pollution etc. affect a sustainable yield.
3.
other species may be affected.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

9.

10.

C.

major oceanic fishing areas have been fished at or beyond their estimated
maximum sustainable yield for commercially valuable species and are in
a state of decline.
The average size of a captured fish has decreased as a result of
overfishing.
The tops of the food web predators are being decimated (sharks,
swordfish, marlin, tuna) which affect marine plant species that support
these fish.
U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation indicate that 14 major
commercial fish species (1/5 of the worlds annual catch) are so depleted
that it would take 20 years for them to recover.
Degradation and destruction of wetlands, estuaries, coral reefs, salt
marshes, mangroves and the pollution from land and air are a growing
threat to the fish and shellfish populations. (70% of the U.S. fish catch
depend on estuaries for their life cycle and salmon are declining due to
habitat degradation of spawning streams and migration routes)
Human populations are growing in or near coastal areas. 64% of the
worlds population lives within 62 miles of the coast. 2/3s of the
worlds largest cities are coastal. Global climate change in the next 50
100 years will cause the waters to warm and therefore will degrade
habitats, pollute the ocean and change where fish are found
_______________ is due to:
a.
Technological improvements in fishing efficiency (they locate
huge fish catches in deeper waters at lower levels of the food
web)
b.
__________________________, therefore there is no
monitoring or restrictions.
c.
There is a growing demand for seafood.
d.
Subsidies by the government and development agencies lead to
an excessive number of fishing vessels and fishers remain in a
declining industry.
e.
Lack of knowledge by consumers about the global fishing crisis.

Aquaculture: fish and shellfish raised for food. Aquaculture supplies 20% of the
worlds commercial fish harvest.
1.
Aquaculture has increased 3.3 fold between 1984 and 1996, and is still
increasing.
2.
Types of aquaculture
a.
Fish farming cultivating fish in a controlled environment (pond
or tank)

b.

3.

4.

D.

IV.

____________________:holding anadromous species in

captivity for the first few years, releasing them and then
harvesting the adults when they return to spawn. (carp, tilapia,
milkfish, clams, oysters)
Advantages
a.
Efficient produces high yields in small volumes of water.
b.
Not tied to the price of oil.
c.
Crossbreeding and genetic engineering can increase yields.
Disadvantages
a.
Require a large input of land, feed, water, and energy.
b.
Large outputs of waste.
c.
Requires scientific knowledge, which is in short supply in
developing countries.
d.
Has destroyed ________________forests.
e.
Pollution from croplands kills fish and makes fish vulnerable to
bacterial and viral infections.
f.
Most ponds become contaminated within ____________, which
leaves barren, salty land that cant be used to raise shrimp, rice,
or anything else.
g.
Chemicals in nets (to keep out unwanted marine life) can be
toxic to free ranging marine animals.
h.
Waste from aquaculture can contaminate nearby estuaries,
surface waters and groundwater, which eliminates some native
aquatic species.
i.
Birds eat fish in farms and are killed with poisons and shotguns,
which depletes both fish and bird species.

Sustainable fishery management

1.
Owners should show that their harvests are sustainable before they can
continue to operate.
2.
Monitor and enforce quotas for fisheries that are set below maximum
sustainable yields.
3.
Establish and divide up fish quotas based on fairness, local needs and
conditions.
4.
Reduce fishing subsidies to shrink the size of global fishing fleets, etc.

Agricultural Policy, Food Aid and Land Reform.

A.
Government Agricultural policies and Food Production
1.
Weather, crop prices, crop pests and diseases, interest rates and the global
market affect farming.
2.
Keeping food prices artificially low: harmful positive feedback.
3.
Giving farmers subsidies to keep them in business increases food
production, which leads to waste and over taxation.

4.

VI.

Eliminating price controls and subsidies would affect the poor and low
middle class.
5.
Reward those farmers who protect soil, conserve water, reforest, protect
and restore wetlands and conserve wildlife.
B.
How do we ensure that the poor benefit?
Poor farmers dont have enough land, money or credit to buy seed, fertilizer,
irrigation water, pesticides, equipment and fuel for new plant varieties.
C.
Land Distribution Reform?
1.
The greatest unequal land distribution is in Latin America
(7% owns 93% of the farmland).
2.
Giving land to the poor may lead to destruction and degradation of
important reservoirs of biodiversity.
D.
Agricultural Research
1.
May save people from famine and increase food calories and keep wild
land from being cleared and plowed under.
2.
Research should develop ways for developing more sustainable methods
for growing food and finding ways to meet everyones basic nutritional
needs.
Sustainable Agriculture The goal to solve our agricultural problems