Food and Soil Resources G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 14th Edition Chapter 14

Key Concepts Methods of producing food Increasing food production Soil degradation Increasing sustainability

How Is Food Produced? Sources of food Primary plants: wheat, corn, and rice Primary animals: fish, beef, pork, and chicken

Major Types of Agriculture Industrialized agriculture Plantation Traditional subsistence agriculture Traditional intensive agriculture

World Food Production Fig. 14-2 p. 275

Producing Food by Green-Revolution Techniques High-input monoculture Selectively bred or genetically-engineered crops High inputs of fertilizer Extensive use of pesticides High inputs of water Multiple cropping

Green Revolutions First green revolution (developed countries) Second green revolution (developing countries) Major International agricultural research centers and seed banks Fig. 14-4 p. 277

Producing Food by Traditional Techniques Interplanting Polyvarietal cultivation Intercropping Agroforestry (alley cropping) Polyculture See Individuals Matter p. 279

Causes of Soil Erosion Wind Water People

Areas of serious concern Stable or nonvegetative areas Global Soil Erosion Areas of serious concern Areas of some concern Stable or nonvegetative areas Fig. 14-7 p. 280

Soil Erosion in the US Dust Bowl – 1930s: Fig. 14-5 p. 281 Reductions in erosion since 1987 1985 Food Security Act

Causes of Desertification Overgrazing Deforestation Erosion Salinization Soil Compaction Natural Climate Change Refer to Fig. 14-10 p. 283

World Desertification Fig. 14-9 p. 282

Soil Degradation on Irrigated Land Evaporation Transpiration Waterlogging Less permeable clay layer Salinization Waterlogging Fig. 14-11 p. 283

Reducing and Cleaning Up Salinization Reduce irrigation Switch to salt-tolerant crops Flush soils Not growing crops for 2-5 years Install underground drainage Refer to Fig. 14-12 p. 283

Solutions: Soil Conservation Conventional-tillage Conservation tillage Terracing Refer to Fig. 14-14 p. 285 Contour farming Strip and alley cropping Windbreaks Land Classification

Soil Restoration Organic fertilizer Animal manure Green manure Compost Crop rotation Commercial inorganic fertilizer

World Food Production Now leveling off Shortages in developing countries Fig. 14-16 p. 287

Nutrition Undernutrition Malnutrition Overnutrition Refer to Fig. 14-17 p. 288

Environmental Effects of Food Production Biodiversity loss Soil degradation Air pollution See Fig. 14-18 p. 290 Water shortages and erosion Human health

Increasing World Crop Production Crossbreeding and artificial selection Genetic engineering (gene splicing) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) Continued Green Revolution techniques Introducing new foods Working more land

Kilograms of grain needed per kilogram of body weight Producing More Meat Kilograms of grain needed per kilogram of body weight Beef cattle 7 Pigs 4 Chicken 2.2 Fish (catfish or carp) 2 Feedlots Rangelands Efficiency Fig. 14-22 p. 297 Improved rangeland management Environmental consequences (Connections p. 295)

Catching and Raising More Fish Fisheries Fishing methods (See Fig. 14-24 p. 299) Overfishing Commercial extinction Aquiculture Fish farming and ranching

Government Agricultural Policy Artificially low prices Subsidies Elimination of price controls Food aid

Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture Low-input agriculture Organic farming See Fig. 14-29 p. 302 Profitable Increasing funding for research in sustainable techniques