5.2 Terrestrial food production systems and food choices

Less economically developed country (LEDC)

A country with low to moderate industrialization and low to moderate average GNP per capita.

More economically developed country (MEDC)

A highly industrialized country with high average GNP per capita.

Agribusiness

The business of agricultural production including farming, seed supply, breeding, chemicals for agriculture, machinery, food harvesting, distribution, processing and storage.

Commercial agriculture

Large scale production of crops and livestock for sale

Subsistence agriculture

Farming for self-sufficiency to grow enough for a family

• Usually alot of manual labor

Cash cropping

Agriculture for the purpose of selling them in a market, not to eat.

Extensive farming

Farming where more land is used with lower density of plants or livestock and thus lower inputs.

• Contains limited selective breeding, has little soil erosion and small effect on biodiversity

Intensive farming

Uses land with high levels of input and output to maximize production with fertilizers, antibiotics and such.

• Ex: Animal feedlots

• Leads to soil erosion and reduction of biodiversity especially with selective breeding

Pastoral farming

Farming to raise animals

Arable farming

Farming crops for the purpose of feeding livestock

Malnourishment

When not enough calories are being consumed to sustain ones health.

• Typically occuring in LEDC’s despite the fact MEDC’s have a surplus of food

• Hungry population growing but wheat per capita decreasing

  • Wheat production possibly at its peak productivity and can’t keep up with growing population

Bush meat

Wild animals killed for food

Livestock

Animals that are eaten which can be used to convert unsuitable to eat vegetation into valued protein.

• Sheep eat toxic grasses

Monoculture

Plants grown which are all of 1 species

• Makes it extremely prone to disease due to a lack of species diversity

• Still done to have high growth rate

Harvesting

The removal of biomass from a field, the soil and the ecosystem, losing nutrients in the process.

Palm oil

Oil from the palm tree grown mainly in Southeast Asia where it is the primary cause of deforestation due to palm oil monoculture plantations.

• Palm oil used in many common products like cooking oil and processed foods

• Clearing land for palm oil trees burns peatlands as well, releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Farming energy efficiency

The energy required to produce a gram of food

• Includes things like crop harvesting, growing, transportation.

• Typically extremely low for most crops

Terrestrial food production system

• Food typically harvetsed in first or second trophic level

• Efficient use of solar energy

Aquatic food production systems

• Food (fish) comes from higher trophic levels

• Less energy efficient than terrestrial food production

Factors that decrease agricultural land

• Soil erosion, salinization, desertification, urbanization

Ways to improve food sustainability

• Maximize yield of food production systems

• Improve agricultural technology (mixed cropping)

• Alter what and how we grow crops

• Reduce food waste

• Eat at lower trophic levels (more energy efficient)

Genetically modified crops

Crops that have had other DNA implanted in them to provide desirable effects

• Ex: Golden rice which gives vitamin A to people