Global Supply Chain
Factors Affecting Global Supply Chain Efficiency
Political relationships (e.g. subsidies, trade wars)
Infrastructure presence or absence
Shifting patterns of world trade
These factors can aid or harm the efficiency
Political Factors:
Subsidies: Government support for farmers in core countries
Can create unfair competition for developing countries
Trade wars: Disputes between countries (e.g. US- China 2018)
Disrupt supply chains, affect farmers and consumers
Infrastructure and Its Impact
Necessary for participating in global supply chain
Includes roads, bridges, facilities, electricty
Some countries lack funds to improve infrastructure
Can lead to exclusion from global food trade
Shifting Patterns in World Trade
Rise of semi-peripheral countries
Increasing participation in global food trade
Fair trade movement addressing inequality
Consumers pay more for products, farmers receive fair wages
Landscape Practices
Landscape-Altering Practice #1: Slash and Burn
Cutting and burning forests for farmland
Provides nutrient-rich soil initially
Part of “shifting cultivation”
Can lead to deforestation if not managed sustainably
Landscape-Altering Practice #2: Terrace Farming
Creating level plots on hillsides
Common in Southeast Asia for rice cultivation
Can be sustainable with proper water management
Destroys natural landscape
Erosion and Weathering
Landscape-Altering Practice #3: Irrigation
Landscape-Altering Practices #4 and #5: Wetlands and Nomadism
Wetlands
Increases farmland but destroys unique ecosystems
Pastoral Nomadism:
Moving with herds seasonally
Challenged by increased sedentary agriculture
Environmental Consequences:
Pollution from pesticides and fertilizers
Agricultural runoff contaminating water supplies
Desertification of poorly managed farmland
Soil salinization in arid regions
Social Effects
Social Effect #1: Changing Diets
Shift from grain and beef to poultry
Increased demand for fresh fruits and vegetables
Global shipping and refrigeration enabling dietary changes
Social Effect #2: Women
Traditionally primary farmers and are now often displaced by mechanization
Social Effect #3: Economic Shifts
Consolidation of small farms into large commercial operations
Risks of monocropping for local economies
Feeding the World
World population continues to grow
Modern agriculture can produce enough food for everyone
Major challenges remain in distributing food equitably
GMOs: Promise and Controversy
Genetically modified organisms introduced in 1990s
designed to resist disease, drought, and increase crop yields
require more chemicals to produce higher yields
debate over environmental and health impacts continues
Aquaculture: Fish Farming
Cultivation of aquatic organisms like fish and shellfish
Provides large portion of fish consumed globally
Critiqued for high energy/chemical inputs
Can potentially pollute water and produce toxins
Urban Farming
Growing good within cities on small plots
provides fresh produce for city dwellers
helps address food access issues in urban areas
Community Supported Agriculture
Consumers pay subscription for share of farmer’s crop
Gives consumers input on crops grown
Farmers get guaranteed buyers
Often sold at local farmers markets
Organic Farming
Uses only natural and renewable resources
Reaction to chemical-heavy commercial farming
avoids synthetic pesticides and fertilizers
products often more expensive but seen as healthier
Fair Trade and Local Food Movements
Fair Trade: Ensures farmers paid fair wages
Local Food: Produced and sold in same community
both aim to support small farmers
reduce environmental impact of long distance shipping
Challenges in Food Distribution
We produce enough food but distribution is uneven
Food insecurity and “food deserts” persist
Poor infrastructure in rural areas hinder delivery
Weather events can devastate crops
Loss of farmland to suburban sprawl