Unit 2: Food Production

Where does food come from

1- Farm

2- Food processor (cleaning, sorting, processed w sugar or heat, producing a packaged food)

3- distributor (ship, train, truck)

4- seller

5- consumer (food is purchased)

Food production in Canadian Statistics

Farmers employ a quarter of a million people

Oat harvesting

• Oats grow in rough conditions

• Oats get cleaned, the husk removed and then go through a kiln (for shel life) the get organized by size and then milling is done so oats can be utilized for human consumptions (like being milled into granola bars)

Apples from farm to table

Apples are transporter via water to remove wax and prevent desiccation and prolong shelf life

Organic Farming

Organic farmers aim to grow crops and raise livestock in ways that are sustainable and harmonious with the environment and share many practices with non-organic farmers.

Soil Management

Over the years, much of our precious topsoil eroded into ditches and waterways. Today, farmers are working hard to improve the land

Horticulture

Horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. Over 120 different fruit and vegetable crops are commercially grown in Canada.

Aquaculture

Farming can also take place in tanks, ponds, lakes and ocean. Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms in fresh or salt water.

Water Management

Protecting water is essential for sustainable agriculture meeting the growing demand for food production while protecting the natural resources on which the world depends.

Raising Farm Animals

Farmers raise beef cattle, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, bison, goats, deer and elk. Farmers and ranchers refer to their farm animals as livestock.

Animal Breeding

Just like dogs, there are purebreds and cross-breeds. And just like some dog owners choose different breeds for different reasons, farmers also choose different breeds of farm animals for different reasons.

What are all the facets of farming

Organic Farming

Soil Management

Horticulture

Aquaculture

Water Management

Raising Farm Animals

Animal Breeding

Food Accessibility

Then: had to preserve the summer’s harvest (by pickling, meaning less food variety)

Now: climate control and flash freezing (more food variety)

Harvesting Grain

Then: cut 1 acre a day and a farm fed 5 people

Now: cut 150 acres a day and a farm feeds 120+ people

Managing Pests

Then: food had worms, very few control options (bugs won)

Now: many ways to protect crops

Soil preservation

Then: loose, airy and less fertile soil. The topsoil could blow away due to tilling

Now: soil is not tilled (last years stuff left) which is better for crops and reduces erosion

Milking cows

Then: milked by hand and on schedule

Now: the cows can live more freely and eat and sleep better due to customized diet and technology

Technology in Agriculture

• sees where seeds should be placed for the best crops

• In touch with animals (ensures they’re healthy)

• Good for water and irrigation systems

Vertical farming

A safe way to avoid E. Coli in lettuce

• manipulates the growth of a plant through light which can control size, shape, taste and nutrition

Negative affects on food productions

• weather climates

• GHG

• Poor water management

• Pesticides

• Toxicity (pesticides on food)

• Aquaculture

Water and climate impacts on agriculture

Brings challenges (extreme weather) and opportunity (longe growing seasons )

Agriculture and GHG

GHG released by growing crops and soul cultivation

Carbon sequestration: capturing and storing carbon in the soil

Pesticides What and why

PMRA regulates pesticides sold in Canada

1- screening

2- research

3- evaluation

4- re eval

Pesticides manage pests by killing or repelling (herbicides, fungicides, insecticide, rodenticides)

Pesticides on food

Poison level depends on the dose and exposure

• wash fruit to reduce the residue (bc there is a maximum residue limit)

Water management

Water drainage it’s important

Irrigation brings in water by pipes or ditches

Aquaculture in Canada

Farming of aquatic organisms in Fresno or salt water which prevents overfishing and operates year round (more reliable)

Issues: waste management, disease transmission

Environmental contaminants/ pollutants

• Heavy Metals

• Mercury

Heavy Metals

Lead: displaces minerals, causing function failure of kidneys, liver, nervous system, bone marrow.

Mercury

Cadmium: causes slow developing, irreversible damage to the liver and kidneys.

Selenium

Arsenic: used as a medication for animals. Can also be found in lower quantities in fish, eggs, milk, rice and drinking water.

Mercury

A naturally occurring element in soils, rocks, lakes, streams and oceans

Pulp and paper processing, mining operations, and burning of garbage and fossil fuels can also release mercury into the environment

High amounts of mercury can damage the nervous system of people and animals

Mercury tends to accumulate in the food chain so that predatory species have higher levels. This is called bioaccumulation.

Fish heavily contaminated with mercury:

Shark

Swordfish

King mackerel

Fresh tuna steak (Albacore)

Tilefish

• Fish that are more heavily contaminated tend to be larger fish that prey on smaller fish the mercury builds up in their system.

Fish/seafood lower in mercury:

Shrimp

Canned light tuna (canned albacore ("white") tuna contains more mercury than light tuna)

Salmon

Pollock

Catfish

How is the mercury in fish monitored?

The CFIA regularly tests domestic and imported commercial fish and shellfish, both freshwater and marine, in order to enforce the mercury guideline of 0.5-1.0 parts per million (ppm) for total mercury in domestically produced and imported fish.

• The recommendation is to consume a variety of fish, as this minimizes your exposure to any particular toxin that may accumulate in a particular fish species.

Why are children and pregnant women discouraged from eating certain fish?

The reason these fish are limited for children, is that children are at a stage of rapid development with metabolic rates higher than that of an adult, resulting in a greater ability to absorb substances (e.g., their level of gastro-intestinal absorption and retention is greater). In addition, the immature or developing organs and systems of children are less able to get rid of mercury.

Pesticides

Herbicide- protects against weed

Fungalcide- protects against fungus

Insecticide- protects against insects

Climate-Smart Agriculture

is an approach that helps to guide actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security in a changing climate.

What can you do?

• Leave your car at home (walk / ride bike to school/work)

• Choose foods lower on the food chain: Choose plant foods more often: Grains are the lowest on the food chain (require the least amount of energy to produce), followed by plant foods like vegetables and fruits, and pulses/legumes.

• Choose smaller fish more often: Smaller fish are lower on the food chain because they themselves eat lower in the food chain (eat plants/tiny fish).

• Limit use of canned beef products (e.g. canned stews, pet food, etc). Canned beef products often come at the expense of cleared rain forest land. 200sq feet of rain forest can be permanently lost for every 1 pound of beef produced.

• Choose locally grown foods - require less transportation, packaging and refrigeration.

• Avoid overly packaged foods (choose bulk)

• Use reusable products

• Use fast cooking methods (microwave, and pressure cooking use less energy than stove top or oven cooking)

• Practice wise resource use: reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as possible.

• How food choices impact the environment

Organic farming

Organic farming: farming without the use of certain pesticides, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, and Genetically modified organisms

4 general principles of organic production:

1. Health: Organic agriculture should sustain and enhance the health of soil, plants, animals, humans

and the planet as one and indivisible

2. Ecology: organic agriculture should be based on living ecological systems and cycles, work with

them, emulate them and help sustain them

3. Fairness: organic agriculture should build on relationships that ensure fairness with regard to the

common environment and life opportunities

4. Care: organic agriculture should be managed in a precautionary and responsible manner to protect the health and well-being of current and future generations and the environment

What else does organic farming emphasize

Organic farming also emphasizes farming practices that promote sustainability, such as crop rotation, covering crops (to prevent soil erosion), using renewable resources, enhancing biological diversity, the use of compost (animal and plant) to improve soil fertility and balancing host / predator relationships.

Organic food labelling

• Any foods that are labelled as organic in Canada are regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

• The major organic foods produced in Canada include grains, organic milk, maple syrup, and tree fruits (especially apples).

  • Foods containing 70- 95% organic ingredients can make labelling claims about the organic ingredients but CANT use the logo (only can use if at least 95% of the food product contains organic ingredients)

Is organic food better?

The belief that organic food has a higher nutritional quality than conventional food is only mildly supported by the scientific evidence. Some studies have shown that organic produce can be higher in vitamin C and may have higher levels of phytochemicals, but the reports are inconsistent so conclusive statements

Goals of cross breeding

• Yield high (grow better/ more) using minimum resources of water, and space

• Better nutritional and/sensory qualities

• Better disease resistant

• More drought tolerant

• More extreme temperature tolerance and so on

GMO vs GE

Genetically modified organisms (GMO) is a misnomer and is accurately called Genetically Engineered (GE) foods. Genetic modification can occur naturally in the environment due to cross pollination, or can be carried out by plant breeding scientists and farmers by cross pollination or by biotechnology scientists by manipulating the genetic material of the organism.

Concerns of GE

• expensive tech

• Increasing costs of production for farmers

• Continuation of GMO with conventional food

• GM- gene jump to other crops growing in the neighborhood (super weeds)

What category are GE foods in?

Novel foods

• The foods in this category (Novel Foods) must be approved by Health Canada (Federal Ministry of Health in Canada)