5.2 Terrestrial food production systems and food choices

what is the sustainability of terrestrial food production systems influenced by

factors such as scale, industrialization, mechanization, fossil fuel use, crop or livestock choices, water use, fertilizers, pest control, pollinators, antibiotics, legislation, levels of commercial versus subsistence food production

which countries is food waste present

both LEDC and MEDC but for different regions

what factors can be seen to influence choice of food production systems

socio-economic, cultural, ecological, political and economic factors

what happens to the availability of land for food production as the human population increases

the availability of land for food production per capita decreases

what is an example of why some societies may be influenced to harvest food from higher trophic levels

how can terrestrial food production systems can be compared and contrasted according to inputs, outputs, system characteristics, environmental impact, socio-economic factors

how might increased sustainability in terrestrial food production systems be achieved

altering human activity to reduce meat consumption of organically grown, locally produced terrestrial food products, improving the accuracy of food labels to assist consumers in making informed food choices, monitoring and control by governmental and intergovernmental bodies, multinational and national food corporations' standards and practices, planting of buffer zones around land suitable for food production to absorb nutrient run off

what is a LEDC (less economically developed country)

a country with low to moderate industrialization and low to moderate average GNP per capita

what is a MEDC (more economically developed country

a highly industrialized country with a high average GNP per capita

what is agribusiness

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

what is commercial agriculture

large scale production of crops and livestock for sale, often by a monoculture of one crop or animal, high levels of technology, energy and chemical input are usually used with corresponding high outputs

what is subsistence agriculture

farming for self sufficiency to grow enough for a family or the local community, there is no surplus and relatively low inputs in the form of fossil fuels of chemicals

what is cash cropping

growing crops for the market, not to eat yourself

what is extensive farming

farming that uses more land with a lower density of stocking or planting and lower planting and lower inputs and corresponding outputs

what is intensive farming

farming that uses land more intensively with thigh levels of input and output per unit area

what is pastoral farming

raising animals, usually on grass and on land that is not suitable for crops

what is arable farming

growing crops on good soil to eat directly or to feed to animals

what is mixed farming

farming that has both crops and animals and is a system in itself where animal waste is used to fertilize the crops and improve soil structure and some crops are fed to the animals

compare the mechanization of commercial farming and subsistence farming

commercial, use of lots of heavy machinery can damage the soil and uses a lot of fossil fuels, subsistence, use of draft animals or human power, less stressful on the soil and can add manure, significantly less burning of fossil fuels

what is malnutrition

an umbrella term for bad nutrition, nutrients may be lacking, excessive, unbalanced

how many people in the world suffer from undernourishment

925 million

what percentage of the people who are undernourished are in MEDCs

2%

where are 98% of the people who suffer from undernourishment

asia, africa, oceania

how many undernourished people are children and infants

200 million

what does chronic undernourishment during childhood lead to

permanent damage, stunted growth, mental issues, social and developmental disorders

what percentage of the undernourished die each year

10%

what percentage of the world does not have enough food

13%

what is the issue with cash cropping in LEDCs

they occupy land that could otherwise be used for food production and arable land is in finite supply

what are the main factors that determine the food we grow and eat

climate, culture and religion, politics, socio-economic factors

how does climate affect the food we grow and eat

it determines what will grow where

how do culture and religion influence the food we grow and eat

some religions prohibit the consumption of certain foods

how does politics affect the food we grow and eat

governments can subsidize or put tariffs on some foods to encourage or discourage their production

how do socio-economic factors influence the food we grow and eat

market forces determine supply and deman in a free market economy

how many calories of food are available per person per day

2790

what is the average energy intake in MEDCs per day

3314

what is the average energy intake in LEDCs

2666

what are countries with low food supplies called

low income food deficient countries

what is the oil palm

a tropical palm tree indigenous to west africa and central america

when was the oil palm imported to south east asia

in the early 1900s

where are half of large oil palm plantations

in malaysia

how has the area of land occupied by oil palms in indonesia changed over the last 10 years

it has doubled

what is the most significant cause of rainforest loss in malaysia and indonesia

palm oil

how many food products contain palm oil

1 in 10

what are some examples of products that contain palm oil

cooking oil, margarine, processed foods, cosmetics, lubricants, biofuel

what are the benefits of oil palm plantations

providing employment and exports

what are the disadvantages of oil palms

they often replace tropical rainforest and often this forest is on peat bogs which are drained and habitats lost, herbicides and pesticides are used on plantations which poison animal species

give a brief overview of shifting cultivation

carried out in the amazon rainforest, a type of extensive subsistence agriculture, low energy inputs and low outputs, high efficiency, low environmental impact

give a brief overview of ceral growing

carried out in the canadian prairies, extensive commercial farming, high use of technology and fertilizers, low output per hectare but high output per farmer, medium efficiency, high environmental impacts, loss of natural ecosystems, soil erosion, loss of biodiviersity

give a brief overview of rice growing

carried out in the ganges valley, intensive subsistence farming, high labour inputs low technology, high output per hectare low output per farmer, high efficiency, low environmental impact

give a brief overview of horticulture and dairying

carried out in western netherlands, intensive commercial farming, high labour and technology, high output per hectare and farmer, high efficiency, high environmental impact, greenhouses for salads and flowers, grass is fertilized, cows produce waste

what are the different ways the efficiency of a farming system can be measured

energy contained within the crop of harvested product per unit area, efficiency of agricultural systems

what are the problems with using the energy contained within the crop of harvested product per unit area to measure the efficiency of farming

does the calculation consider biomass harvested or does it consider only the marketable portion of the harvest/animal

how can the quality of energy differ

fats and protein contain more energy content per gram than carbohydrates, you need to eat less meat and fish than cereals to get the same amount of energy, a higher energy content food costs less to transport as it has lower volume

what are two different methods used to grow rice

traditional, extensive rice production in indonesian borneo, intensive rice farming in california

what is traditional extensive rice farming characterized by

low inputs of energy and chemicals, high labour intensity and a low productivity, very little if any pollution

what is intensive rice production characterized by

high inputs of energy and chemicals, low labour intensity and a high productivity, energy inputs in the form of fuels, large amounts of fertilizer and pesticides high rice yields are obtained

what are some key features of traditional extensive agriculture

limited selective breeding, no genetically engineered organisms, polyculture, small effect on biodiversity, little soil erosion

what are some key features of intensive agriculture

strong selective breeding, genetically engineered organisms, monoculture, reduction in biodiversity, strong soil erosion

which trophic level is food usually harvested from in terrestrial food production systems

first or second

what energy losses are higher in terrestrial food production vs aquatic

skeletal waste, land based animals have more energy tied up in their skeletons as they have to support themselves on land

which trophic levels does food come from in aquatic food production systems

higher trophic levels as food fish tend to be carnivorous, at trophic level 4 or higher

why is the energy efficiency of aquatic food production systems lower than that of terrestrial food production systems

because of the energy losses at each trophic level

how many more humans will there be in 2050

2 billion

what are some factors that contribute to the decrease in agricultural land

soil erosion, salinization, desertification, urbanization

what are the main ways we can improve the sustainability of food supplies

maximize the yield of food production systems, reduce food waste by improving storage and distribution, monitoring and control, change our attitudes towards food and our diets, reduce food processing, packaging and transport

how can we maximize the yield of food production systems

improve technology of agriculture, alter what we grow and how we grow it

how can we improve technology of agriculture

mixed cropping and interplanting conserves water and the soil, no plow tillage, drill seeds into the stubble of the previous crop, plant buffer zones around agricultural lands, biological control of pests and integrated pest management, trickle irrigation

how can we alter what we grow and how we grow it

inserting into cereals the gene from legumes that allows them to fix nitrogen would save the need for nitrogenous fertilizers, aquaculture and hydroponics, soil conservation measures

what is agroecology

where nutrients and energy are recycled on farms within a closed system with crops and animals balancing inputs and outputs

where is food waste mainly found in LEDCs

in production and storage through pest infestations, severe weather, lack of good storage

where is food waste mainly in MEDCs

in consumption, consumers by more food than needed and let it go off, supermarkets have too strict standards

how can food production be monitored and controlled

by governmental and intergovernmental bodies, to regulate imports and exports, by food corporations to raise standards and practices on supplier farms, by individuals in NGO pressure groups

how can we change our attitudes towards food and our diets

eat different crops, eat less meat, improve education about food, increase consumption of insects as they are a big protein source that reproduces rapidly and in large numbers

what will happen if we obtain more food from lower trophic levels

we will greatly increase the amount of food available

how much meat did each person eat on average in 2000

38kg

why are locally grown foods not always better for the environment

they may cost more in energy used to produce them eg, growing tomatoes in a heated greenhouse in a temperate country such as the UK may use more total energy than growing them in the tropics and flying them into the UK

by 2030 it is predicted that the average human will consume how many kcal per day

3000

how much more cereals will need to be grown in 2030

billion tonnes

if all humans alive today adopted the diet of europeans, how many more planets like earth would we need

2.5

if we all ate organic food, could we produce enough

no

what is food miles a measure of

how far the food has moved from grower to your table

what are GM crops

crops that have DNA of one species inserted into the crop species to form a transgenic plant

which GM crops are the most common

soya bean, cotton, maize

what does Golden rice do

synthesizes beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A so it can stop vitamin A deficiency

what do opponents of GM crops say

we do not know what we are releasing into the environment, GM plants could cross-pollinate with other varieties so introduced DNA could escape into wild populations

what does 40% of the EU budget go to

the CAP (common agricultural policy)

What does CAP do

it means farmers are guaranteed a price for their produce and a tariff and quota are placed on imports of foodstuffs

what were the initial aims of CAP

to ensure productivity, give farmers a reasonable standard of living, allow food stocks to be secured and provide food in shops at affordable prices

what is one big issue with CAP

it is accused of being protectionist, keeping products from other countries out of the EU for the benefit of the 5% of europeans who work in agriculture

what happened as a result of selective wheat breeding in mexico

wheat yields increased so much that the country became self sufficient in wheat and exported the surplus