chapter 10 food and pesticides

food insecurity

lack of safe and nutritious food for a healthy lifestyle

food insecurity and poverty facts

¼ of the world works in ag

34% of all land is used to grow crops

root cause of hunger is poverty

chronic malnutrition

not enough protein and other nutrients

• physically weaker

• vulnerable to disease

• developmental issues in children

lack of micronutrients

>2 billion people have a vitamin and or nutrient deficiency

• vitamin a - blindness

• iron - anemia

• iodine - goiters

overnutrition

• many similar long-term issues to being underfed

• common in more affluent countries

• ~75% of adults in US are overweight or obese (gone up in the last 10 years)

• ~30% of children in the US are overweight or obese (gone down in the past 10 years)

• can lead to: heart disease, stroke, diabetes

increases in food production

croplands supply 83% of harvest food calories and 63% of crop harvested areas

• only 37% of those go to our tables

• the rest are for livestock, industrial uses, seeds for future crops, etc

increases have come from

• irrigation

• synthetic fertilizers

• synthetic pesticides

industrialized agriculture

• uses motorized equipment along with large amounts of financial capital, fossil fuels, water, and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides

• goal is to maximize yield per area of land

• monoculture

• produces ~80% of the world’s food on ~25% of cropland

• plantation agriculture – form of IA used in less-developed tropical regions

• cash crops like bananas, coffee, soybeans (for livestock), sugar, etc.

• large monoculture for export to more affluent countries

traditional agriculture

• ~20% of world’s food on ~75% of cropland

• human and animal labor

• typically only enough for a single family

• higher yields come from higher labor input

• usually polyculture

• natural fertilizers

• healthy topsoil and reduced erosion

• low input polyculture can outproduce IA monoculture farms while requiring fewer resources

organic agriculture

0 use of synthetic pesticides, synthetic inorganic fertilizers, or genetically engineered varieties of food

animals use 100% organic feed, no antibiotics, and no growth hormones

“Organic” labeling heavily controlled by USDA

Varies with % organic used before bringing to market

green revolution

since 1950 food production has grown largely due to increasing yeilds through IA

3 steps

• selectively bred or genetically modified grains

• lots of water, synthetic pesticides and inorganic fertilizers

• multiple cropping

first happened in developed countries like US, later in countries like Brazil and Indie

half of these grains for human consumption, other for livestock

genetically changing crops

before the advent of genetic modification, changes to crop species came through selective breeding

GMO

genetically modified organisms

GMO controversy

no long-term studies on effect to health. Is there an effect?

banned or heavily regulated in many countries

have reduced need for insecticides, but increased use of herbicides

some weeds becoming resistant and stronger herbicides needed (think antibiotic resistance but for plants)

meat consumption

50% comes from pasture or rangeland fed livestock'

50% comes from factory farming

fishery

concentration of species for commercial harvest, occurs in ocean or inland body of water (still natural environment)

aquaculture

“fish farming” - raising fish and shellfish in a controlled environment

fisheries and aquaculture

has grown nearly 10x in the last 70 years

most fisheries overharvested or at max capacity

food production impacts

processing, storage, and transport of foods takes large amounts of energy and burning fossil fuels

however, >50% reduction in energy requirements for production in US per calorie

• conservation tillage

• production of nitrogen fertilizers

uses 70% of available freshwater

produces 60% of water pollution

uses 40% of ice-free land

produces 25% of greenhouse gases

erodes topsoil

• eroding faster than it can form on 1/3 of cropland

• reduces fertility of the soil

• increases water pollution

• releases CO₂

soil contamination

accumulation of pollutants and toxic metals in soils

desertification

when 10% or more of topsoils have eroded away

• caused by prolonged droughts and human activities: overgrazing, deforestation, etc

• moderate: 10-25% loss

• severe: 25-50%

• very severe: >50%

water logging

raising the water table by over-irrigating and reducing oxygen uptake by plants

soil salinization

buildup of salt in soils from irrigation can reduce fertility of the soil

fertilizing facts

4x the use of 60 years ago

burning forests releases CO₂

pesticides and fertilizers release chemicals into the air

overfertilizing

increased use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers can lead to pollution of lakes and streams as well as groundwater

loss of genetic diversity in crops

~75% in the last 100+ years

reduction in variation of foods consumed: rice varieties in india and other places

limits to current practices

growing global populations leads to less cropland per person

reaching upper limits of NPP for crops

changing climate may reduce amount of land capable of producing crops

running out of land to convert to agriculture

impacts of factory farms

increased meat supply

reduced overgrazing

reduced costs

however… vast amount of water for irrigation for livestock feed

50% of global antibiotic use is for livestock

• antibiotic resistant bacteria

animal waste - usually used as fertilizer but manure from factory farms is laden with antibiotics, pesticides, and other chemicals

large contributor to greenhouse gases

animal cruelty

regenerative agriculture

pesticide, herbicide, and antibiotic free

rotating grazing the way we rotate crops

can actually sequester carbon

impacts of aquacultures and fisheries

aquaculture has overtaken fishery use for seafood production

~30% of fish from aquaculture are raised on fish oil and meal

• depletes wild fish

• many contaminated with chemicals

wastes from carnivorous fish may be filled with same chemicals as terrestrial livestock

possibility for escape and inter-breeding with wild fish

pesticides

•In a natural environment, an abundance of plant and animal species keep any given species in check

•In a monoculture there is no such competition or predator/prey relationship to control pests

•Insecticides

•Herbicides

•Rodenticides

synthetic pesticides

•Since 1945 many millions of lives have been saved from insect transmitted diseases like malaria and bubonic plague

•Fewer crops are decimated by pests

•Herbicides remove weeds without tilling and subsequent erosion

•Higher crop yields is more profitable for farmers and reduces costs to consumers

•Cheap, shelf stable, efficient

•New pesticides are safer and more effective

•Endless cycle of buying new pesticides that become less effective over time

•Less targeted pesticides can kill species that would otherwise help control those pests

•Inefficient application leads to air and water pollution

•Can harm species like honeybees which are beneficial to crops

•Can be dangerous to human health

•Large pesticide use is no longer correlating increased crop yields

•Seems to be related with increasing genetic resistance

•Alternative pest management practices could further reduce pesticide necessity while still increasing yields

terracing

converting steep slopes into a series of mostly flat terraces for crops

contour planting

for less steep slopes, planting rows of crops along contours of the slopes rather than up and down them

strip cropping

alternative strips of a row crop and a ground cover crop

alley cropping

crops that restore nitrogen to the soil planted between fruit bearing trees or shrubs which provide shade

windbreaks

“fences” of trees around fields to reduce windspeed and erosion over cropland

conservation tillage

injecting seeds and fertilizers into the soil without generally disturbing topsoil

no till farming

seeds planted directly into previous crop residue

hydroponics

no use of soil at all

conservation reserve program 1985

farmers receive subsidies to take highly erodible land out of production

• ethanol mandate

renewable fuel standard (RFS)

ethanol (from corn) mandated to be used in gasoline

corn prices rose 30%

corn production rose 8.7%

fertilizer use increased ~5%

emissions rose >24%

restoring soil fertility

using organic fertilizers in conjuction with inorganic - adds nitrogen phosphorous, etc back to soil

• animal manure

• green manure - fresh cut vegitation

• compost - broken down organic matter

• biochar - woody material heated up but in an environment with little oxygen to prevent combustion

crop rotation

growing different crops in the same location from season to season

reducing soil salinization and desertification

more effective or reduced irrigation

salt tolerant crops (Is this a long-term solution?)

pause crop growth for a time (2-5 years) Why might this be difficult?

underground drainage systems

reduce things like deforestation, overgrazing, etc. can restore areas experiencing desertification

combatting effects of meat production

it takes 3x the amount of grain to produce one pound of beef vs. one pound of pork

transition from beef and pork to poultry and herbivorous fish would drastically reduce the amount of cropland needed to produce the meat we consume

“meatless monday”

lab grown meat

cultured meat – using animal cells to grow just desired muscle cells of an animal

first ever burger – 2013, took two years to grow and cost $325,000

well received the by food critic who ate it

much lower environmental impact

10 – 20x less land is required

1/10^th water is required

higher ratio of input energy to output food (up to 45% reduction in energy needs)

few or no animal cruelty issues

sustainable aquaculture

aquaculture Stewardship Council – created sustainability standards

marine Stewardship Council – same but for fisheries

bth have associated labeling on food packaging similar to other areas of food production

possibility for deep sea fish farming – reduces concentration of wastes and less overall environmental impact

inland facilities with recirculating water systems

changes to species farmed?

government attempts to affect food production

price controls - placing limits on what producers and grocers can charge for a product

farmer subsidies – tax breaks and other financial support

• doesn’t always influence sustainable behaviors

• can be used as a crutch

• can support industries the public doesn’t want