Farming Systems and Food Choice Action movie

Farming Systems Subsistence Commercial (Industrialized) The provisions of food by farmers for their own family or the local community (no surplus) Usually mixed crops with a lot of human labor Low input of energy (fossil fuels and chemicals) Little food is stored so vulnerable to shortages Commercial (Industrialized) Large profit making scale Often a monoculture of one crop or animal Goal is to maximize yield High levels of energy and technology input = Usually large outputs

Farming Systems Extensive Intensive Uses more land with a lower density of stock Lower inputs/outputs Intensive High levels of inputs and outputs per unit area Ex: feed lot

Farming Systems Pastoral Arable Mixed Raising animals Usually on land not suitable for crops Arable Growing crops on good soils to eat directly or feed to animals Mixed Both! Animal waste fertilizes crops and crops are fed to animals

Commercial vs Subsistence

Malnutrition General Term for the result of a poor diet. Can be… Lacking (Undernourishment; lack of calories; LEDCs) 925 million people in the world (FAO) 2% in MEDCs and 98% in LEDCs (Asia, Africa, Oceana) Excessive (Overnourishment; obesity; MEDCs) Unbalanced (Wrong proportion of nutrients; Rice Heavy Diets in LEDCs) About 13% of the world does not have enough food MEDCs Food is cheap Food is a choice LEDCs Struggle to produce enough food Cash Cropping: some crops are grown for export/profit instead of feeding indigenous populations! Coffee, Flax, biofuels, some cereal grains

Food Choices Influenced by… Climate Culture/Religion Politics Ecological conditions determine what will grow where Greenhouses and irrigation can simulate different climates Culture/Religion Some religions forbid (proscribe) certain foods Tradition often determines preference Politics Governments can subsidize certain foods while putting tariffs on others This encourages or discourages production Socio-economic status Supply and demand Farmers grow what is in demand Which increases supply Which decreases demand …

Enough Food? There is an average of 2,780 calories available per human per day on in food. 23% more than in 1961 Technology has continued to allow food supply to outpace population growth… …So far… (Some feel we may be near the limit of productivity and doubt if we can feed a world of 9 billion)

Hmm……..