Contemporary Farming Challenges

Goals of contemporary agriculture

1. Produce enough to feed the growing global population

2. Preserve the integrity of the land to continue to produce food in the future

Sustainable agriculture

Producing crops and raising animals in a way that balances necessary food production, minimizing environmental impacts, and ensuring social justice for producers

Food Insecurity

Occurs when large numbers of people experience long periods of inadequate diets

True or False: Food Insecurity only occurs in LDCs

False, occurs in both MDCs and LDCs

Causes of Food Insecurity

1. Poverty

2. Government instability/conflict limiting food distribution

3. Economic decisions (human vs animal consumption)

4. Suburbanization decreasing available farmland

As income increases, so does

demand for certain products

As income increases, so does demand for certain products. What are these products?

Meat, luxury crops, and processed foods

Meat (especially beef) is more demanded in?

urban areas

Luxury Crops

wine, oils, coffee, chocolate

Processed foods

• More corn farming (high fructose corn syrup)

• More women in the workforce = more packaged foods

More extreme weather conditions likely to lead to

droughts and flooding, which destroys harvests

Temperature shifts mean some places may

not be suitable for agriculture in the future