Chapter 19 Food Resources Millions of children suffer from this disease…called Kwashiorkor, which is caused by a severe protein deficiency, leading to fluid retention and a characteristic swollen belly. (This photo was taken at Bonga Refugee Camp in Ethiopia in 2007)

Overview of Chapter 19  World Food Security  Food Production  Challenges of Producing More Crops and Livestock  Environmental Impact of Agriculture  Solutions to Agricultural Problems  Fisheries of the World

World Food Security   Food Insecurity is Prevalent in Less-developed nations!   According to the U.N. FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization), close to 1 billion people lack access to the food needed for healthy, productive lives!   2 major diseases of undernutrition:   Marasmus = the progressive emaciation caused by a lack of protein and calories. Most common in the 1 st year of life in developing nations   Kwashiorkor (“displaced child” in Ghana) = under-nutrition caused by protein deficiency in poor areas of most of the world   Symptoms include swollen belly, stunted growth, brittle hair, apathy, etc.

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

World Food Security  Famine  Temporary but severe shortage of food, typically caused by crop failure, drought, flood, war, or some other catastrophic event.  Developing nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America are most at risk  More people die from starvation due to overall lack of adequate nutrition than from a short-term famine episode.

World Food Security  Maintaining World Grain Stocks  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

Decline in Grain Stock…causes  Rising temps  Falling water tables and droughts  Ethanol production  More grain is going towards feeding livestock  Increased meat consumption in developing countries

World Food Security  Economics and Politics  Cost money to store, produce, transport and distribute food, and the places most in need of food are the places that are least able to produce it (Asia, Africa, and Latin America)  Getting food to those who need it is political  Democratic countries are more likely to get food supplies to those who need it than totalitarian regimes are!

Poverty and Food  1.3 billion people are so poor they cannot afford proper nutrition  More common in  Rural than urban areas  Infants, children and the elderly

Food Production

Animals as food  Constitute 40% of the calories consumed in developed countries  Only comprise 5% of calories consumed in developing countries

Principle Types of Agriculture  Industrialized agriculture  Modern agriculture methods that require large capital input, and less land and labor  Subsistence Agriculture  Traditional agricultural methods, which are dependent on labor and large amounts of land  Shifting cultivation, Slash and burn agriculture, Nomadic herding, Intercropping

Industrialized Agriculture!

 Domestication and Genetic Diversity  Domestication of crops and livestock causes a loss of genetic diversity  Farmer selects and propagates animals with desirable agricultural characteristics Challenges of Producing More Crop and Livestock

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

Case-In-Point Green Revolution  High Yielding Rice Varieties

Challenges of Producing More Crop and Livestock  Increasing Livestock Yields….mostly dependent upon 2 inputs:  Hormone supplements  US and Canada  Not used in Europe  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 specific gene from a cell of one species and placing it into the cell of an unrelated species

Genetically Modified Organisms  Add beneficial characteristics to crops  Additional nutrition  Resistance to pests  Drought resistances (below)  Herbicides

Genetically Modified Organisms

Safety in Genetic Engineering  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

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

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

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

World Seafood Harvest

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