1. Food and Agriculture

2. In the last 45 years World population increased 1.7% Food production increased 2.2%

3. Malnutrition and Famines One quarter of the human population is malnourished – Sub-Saharan Africa (~225 million) – East and Southeast Asia (~275 million) – South Asia (~250 million) – Parts of Latin America

4. Why? Wealthier countries are eating more than they need = obesity Very poor countries are not getting enough= malnutrition

5. World Food Supply and the Environment Our current food problem is the result of our human population

6. Plant Food Sources 250,000 plant species 3000 tried as crops 300 grown for food 100 species used on large scale for food 15 to 20 species 15 to 20 species provide vast majority (90%) of man’s food needs Largest crop volumes provided by: wheat, rice, corn, potatoes, barley

7. Other Plant Food Sources 1.Potatoes 2.Barley 3.Sweet Potato 4.Cassava (source of tapioca) 5.Grape 6.Soybean 7.Oats 8.Sorghum 9.Sugarcane 10.Millet 11.Banana 12.Tomato 13.Sugar Beet 14.Rye 15.Orange 16.Coconut 17.Cottonseed 18.Apple 19.Yam 20.Peanut 21.Watermelon 22.Cabbage 23.Onion 24.Bean 25.Pea 26.Sunflower Seed 27.Mango

8. 85 % of ALL crops grown are Corn = 286 million tons soy = 88 million tons

10. Adhesives (glues, pastes, mucilages, gums, etc.) Aluminum Antibiotics (penicillin) Asbestos insulation Aspirin Automobiles (everything on wheels) cylinder heads ethanol fuel & windshield washer fluid spark plugs synthetic rubber finishes tires

11. Baby food Batteries, dry cell Beer Breakfast cereals Candies Canned vegetables Carbonated beverages Cheese spreads Chewing gum Chocolate products Coatings on wood, paper & metal

12. Color carrier in paper & textile, printing Corn chips Corn meal Cosmetics C.M.A. (calcium magnesium acetate) Crayon and chalk Degradable plastics Dessert powders Dextrose (intravenous solutions, icing sugar) Disposable diapers Dyes Edible oil Ethyl and butyl alcohol

13. Explosives - firecrackers Finished leather Flour & grits Frozen foods Fructose Fuel ethanol Gypsum wallboard Ink for stamping prices in stores Insecticides Instant coffee & tea Insulation, fibreglass James, jellies and preserves Ketchup

14. Latex paint Leather tanning Licorice Livestock feed Malted products Margarine Mayonnaise Mustard, prepared Paper board, (corrugating, laminating, cardboard) Paper manufacturing

15. Paper plates & Cups Peanut butter Pharmaceuticals - The Life Line of The Hospital Potato chips Rugs, carpets Salad dressings Shaving cream & lotions Shoe polish Soaps and cleaners Soft drinks

16. Starch & glucose (over 40 types) Syrup Tacos, tortillas Textiles Toothpaste Wallpaper Wheat bread Whiskey Yogurts

17. Why so much corn? Government gives farmers money to grow corn to offset the price of food More incentive for farmers to grow corn

18. What do we do with all this corn? Scientist research lots of way we can use corn

19. Feed the cows and other livestock corn!

20. Cows and other livestock Feed corn and grains NOT grass Why? Fat Cows and fat livestock Fat livestock = more meat More meat = feed more people Sounds good, right???

21. Grain Production Grain production increased from 631 to 1780 million metric tons from 1950 to 1990. Has leveled off since then Top five countries in order of producing the most amount of grain are: 1.China 2.United States 3.India 4.Canada 5.Ukraine

24. Question: Why is there a controversy over using grain to fatten cattle? From: Time, November 8, 1999

25. Farming years ago

26. Farming today: CAFO

27. Livestock ·(four-chambered stomachs) contain bacteria that can convert plant tissue to animal protein/fat hence, plant material (grass) originally unusable for man is converted into food sources that can be ingested by man

28. Cows digestive system designed for grass NOT corn Corn sits in gut Same bacteria converting grass to protein and fat grows out of control Accumulated E. coliE. coli Close quarters cows stand in feces

29. Chicken Farming

30. Pig Farming

31. Manure runoff

32. Feces can wash away and carry E. coli to nearby farms E. coli

33. How are animals allowed to live in close quarters? Pump them with antibiotics! Chickens and cows are given antibiotics, you eat the chicken and cows, you ingest the antibiotics

34. Antibiotic Resistance

35. Antibiotic Resistance Video Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

36. Meat Sources About 90% of all meat and milk are consumed by United States, Europe and Japan which constitute only 20% of world population About 90% of the grain grown in the United States is used for animal feed 16 kg of grain = 1 kg of meat – By eating grain instead would get 20 times the calories and 8 times the protein

37. Many more people could be fed by the grain used to feed the cattle than can be fed by the cattle themselves This is because productive energy is diminished with each trophic level Based on: Scientific American, September 1976

38. Soil

44. Wind Erosion

45. Water Erosion

49. Irrigation

50. 2/3 of fresh water is used for irrigation Excessive irrigation = waterlogged plants

51. Farming strips nutrients in soil Farmers add fertilizers to soil to put back nutrients Nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus

52. Fertilizer Runoff

54. Pests attack and eat our food crops Today’s Pests Based on: National Geographic, February 1980

55. Pesticides are added to crops Photo courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

56. Types of Pesticides 1.Biological – Ladybugs, parasitic wasps, etc. 2.Pesticides that effect nervous system of pests more water soluble than chlorinated hydrocarbons Aldicarb, aminocarb, carbaryl (Sevin), carbofuran, Mirex 3.Chlorinated Hydrocarbons affect nervous system – Aldrin, Chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, lindane and paradichlorobenzene 4.Fumigants are used to sterilize soil and prevent grain infestation

57. Eagle reproduction before and after DDT ban Based on: Grier, J., Science, 1982

58. Eagle populations increased rapidly and the eagle is now listed as “Threatened” From: Time, July 11, 1994

59. Pesticides Pro and Con Kill unwanted pests that carry disease (rats, mosquitoes, Tse-Tse flies) Increase food supplies More food means food is less expensive Effective and fast-acting Newer pesticides are safer, more specific Reduces labor costs on farms Food looks better Agriculture is more profitable Accumulate in food chain Pests develop resistance – 500 species so far Resistance creates pesticide treadmill Estimates are $5-10 in damage done for $1 spent on pesticide Pesticide runoff Destroy bees - $200 million Threaten endangered species Affect egg shell of birds 5% actually reach pest ~20,000 human deaths/year

60. Pesticide Resistance In the beginning, most pests were sensitive to DDT but a few were resistant The resistant forms survived and reproduced In the end, most pests were resistant to DDT Based on: National Geographic, February 1980

61. Methods to increase food supply 1.fertilizers 2.pesticides 3.GMO’s

62. GMO (Genetically modified Organisms) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques

63. Genetically Engineered Plants The Good: Crops can be engineered to have important components of diet, contain medically important proteins, and to be pest resistant The Bad: Plants could contain pesticides that would harm humans and wildlife, or proteins that could cause allergies in humans. Genetics could escape to traditional crops.

65. Alternative Farming

67. Terracing

68. Defining “Organic” Foods produced without hormones, antibiotics, herbicides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers, genetic modification or germ-killing radiation The USDA labels such foods “certified organic” From: Newsweek, Sept. 30, 2002

69. Availability of Organic Products Based on: Newsweek, Sept. 30, 2002

70. Unanswered Questions about Certified Organic Foods Are organic food safer than other foods? Do organic foods taste better? Are organic foods worth the extra costs? Are people eating organic diets healthier than people with conventional diets?

71. Can organic farming help the environment? Pesticides now kill 67 million American birds per year The Mississippi River dumps enough fertilizer into the Gulf of Mexico to maintain a 60 mile “dead zone” devoid of fish

72. Pesticides and Human Health India suffering from human health consequences of pesticide use Infertility Infertility Cancer related deaths increasing Cancer related deaths increasing Childhood cancers Childhood cancers Mental retardation Mental retardation Research shows pesticides and fertilizers in the groundwater.

73. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Buy a share of local community farm Eat locally Eat lower on food chain Supporting land without pesticides or artificial fertilizers Grass fed cows and other livestock = low input foods