Chapter 19 Food Resources: A Challenge For Agriculture

Overview of Chapter 19 Food and Nutrition World Food Problems Principle Types of Agriculture Challenges of Producing More Crops and Livestock Environmental Impact of Agriculture Solutions to Agricultural Problems Fisheries of the World

Food and Nutrition Carbohydrates Proteins Lipids Vitamins and Minerals Sugars and starches metabolized by cellular respiration to produce energy Proteins Large, complex molecules composed of amino acids that perform critical roles in body Lipids Include fats and oils and are metabolized by cellular respiration to produce energy Vitamins and Minerals

Human Foods

World Food Problems Feeding a growing population is difficult Annual grain production (left) has increased since 1970 Grain per person has not (right)

World Food Problems Famine Failure of crops caused by drought, flood or catastrophic event Temporary but severe shortage of food Maintaining World Grain Carryover Stockpiles Amounts of rice, wheat, corn and other grains remaining from previous harvest Provides measure of food security Decreased each year since 1987 UN feels carryover stock should not fall below 70 days

World Grain Carryover Stock Why the decline? Rising temperatures Falling water tables and droughts Ethanol production More grain is going towards feeding livestock

World Food Problems Poverty and Food Economics and Politics 1.3 billion people are so poor they cannot afford proper nutrition More common in Rural than urban areas Infants, children and the elderly Economics and Politics Cost money to store, produce, transport and distribute food Getting food to those who need it is political

Principle Types of Agriculture Industrialized agriculture Modern agriculture methods require large capital input, less land and less labor

Principle Types of Agriculture Subsistence Agriculture Traditional agricultural methods, which are dependent on labor and large amounts of land Examples: Shifting cultivation Slash and burn agriculture Nomadic herding Intercropping

Challenges of Producing More Crop and Livestock Domestication and Genetic Diversity Domestication of crops and livestock causes a loss of genetic diversity Farmer selects and propagates animals with desirable agricultural characteristics Many high yielding crops are genetically uniform High likelihood that bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. will attack and destroy entire crop

Challenges of Producing More Crop and Livestock Increasing Crop Yield Food production increased in developed countries (wheat) Pesticides Selective breeding

Case-In-Point Green Revolution High Yielding Rice Varieties

Challenges of Producing More Crop and Livestock Increasing Livestock Yields Hormone supplements US and Canada do this Europe does not citing human health concerns Antibiotics 40% of antibiotics produced in US are used in livestock operations Problems with increased bacteria resistance

Antibiotic Use and Resistance

Genetic Engineering Manipulation of genes by taking a specific gene from a cell of one species and placing it into the cell of an unrelated species

Issue with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) Determined to be safe for human consumption Concerns about GMO seed or pollen spreading in wild Backlash against GMOs GMOs are not currently labeled FDA finds it would be counterproductive and expensive to label

Environmental Impacts of Agriculture High use of fossil fuels and pesticides Air pollution Untreated animal wastes and agricultural chemicals Water pollution Harms fisheries Insects, weeds, and disease-causing organisms developing resistance to pesticides Contaminate food supply

Environmental Impact of Agriculture Land degradation Decreases future ability of land to support crops or livestock Habitat fragmentation Breakup of large areas of habitat into small, isolated patches Cultivating marginal lands Irrigating dry land Cultivating land prone to erosion

Solutions to Agricultural Problems- Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable Agriculture Examples: Natural Predator-prey relationships instead of pesticides Crop selection Crop rotation and conservation tillage Supplying nitrogen with legumes Organic agriculture Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Limited use of pesticides with sustainable agriculture practices

Fisheries of the World- Problems No nation lays claim to open ocean Resource susceptible to overuse and degradation Overharvesting Many species are at point of severe depletion Cod (right) 62% of world’s fish stock are in need of management action

Fisheries of the World- Problems Overharvesting (continued) Sophisticated fishing equipment Bycatch killed off Magnuson Fisheries Conservation Act

Fisheries of the World- Problems Ocean Pollution - dumping ground Oil Heavy metals Deliberate litter dumping Stormwater runoff from cities and agricultural areas Aquaculture Growing of aquatic organisms for human consumption Great potential to supply food

Fisheries of the World- Problems Aquaculture (continued) Locations of fisheries may hurt natural habitats Produce waste that pollutes adjacent water