Food Resources G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 13 th Edition Chapter 13 G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 13 th Edition Chapter 13 Dr. Richard Clements Chattanooga State Technical Community College Dr. Richard Clements Chattanooga State Technical Community College

Key Concepts  Methods of producing food  Increasing food production  Environmental effects of food production  Increasing sustainability

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

Major Types of Agriculture  Traditional subsistence  Traditional intensive  Plantation  Industrialized (high-input) See Fig p. 280

Industrialized agriculture Shifting cultivation Plantation agriculture Nomadic herding Intensive traditional agriculture No agriculture World Food Production Fig p. 279

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  Increased intensity and frequency of cropping

Green Revolutions First green revolution (developed countries) First green revolution (developed countries) Second green revolution (developing countries) Second green revolution (developing countries) Major International agricultural research centers and seed banks Major International agricultural research centers and seed banks Fig p. 282

Producing Food by Traditional Techniques  Intercropping  Polyvarietal cultivation  Agroforestry (alley cropping)  Polyculture – like a home garden

Food Production  Rapidly increasing  Prices decreasing  Shortages in developing countries  Approaching limits on meat production

Nutrition  Undernutrition  Malnutrition  Overnutrition Refer to Fig p. 286 Refer to Solutions p. 289

Environmental Effects of Food Production  Biodiversity loss  Soil  Air pollution  Water  Human health See Fig p. 288

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 See Fig p. 291

Producing More Meat  Rangeland  Pasture  Adaptations of rangeland plants  Range condition and management  Efficiency  Environmental consequences ( Connections p. 299 ) Kilograms of grain needed per kilogram of body weight Beef cattle 7 7 Pigs 4 4 Chicken 2.2 Fish (catfish or carp) Fish (catfish or carp) 2 2 Fig p. 298

CAFO’s (confined animal feeding operations)

Drip Center Pivot Sprinkler Farm Water Use

Catching and Raising More Fish  Fisheries  Fishing methods ( See Fig p. 303 )  Sustainable yield  Overfishing  Commercial extinction  Aquiculture  Fish farming and ranching

Aquaculture Farms (marine cages) – raise and cultivate fish and harvest when reach desired age or size. Ranch –raise juveniles, then release to grow to adulthood in wild waters, then recapture when return to spawn (ex: salmon) *farm raised vs wild caught. (uncommon)

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

Solutions: Sustainable Agriculture  Low-input agriculture  Organic farming  More benefits to the poor  Increasing funding for research in sustainable techniques See Fig p. 308

Solutions: Soil Conservation  Conventional-tillage  All topsoil is turned under and exposed to erosion and the elements.  Conventional-tillage  All topsoil is turned under and exposed to erosion and the elements.  Conservation tillage  Minimum or no-till –either loosely break the surface or use special planting equipment to put seeds into earth without exposing topsoil.  Conservation tillage  Minimum or no-till –either loosely break the surface or use special planting equipment to put seeds into earth without exposing topsoil. Refer to Fig p. 224

Solutions Cont.d Cropping methods Strip Contour Terrace

Windbreaks Land Classification

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

Soil Conservation 1985 Farm Act – strategy to reduce soil erosion in the US Reduce erosion & restore fertile land –Conservation tilling – disturb soil as little as possible –Terracing – reduce erosion on slopes –Contour farming – plant along contours of gentle slopes –Strip cropping – planting alternate strips of crops –Alley cropping – planting between shrubs and trees –Wind breaks – planting a row of trees or shrubs on perimeters –Gully reclamation – fast growing vines and shrubs