APHUG 5.5

Unit Overview

  • Unit 5 Day 5 Challenges of Contemporary Agriculture

  • Focus on the challenges and debates surrounding the environmental and societal impacts of modern agriculture.

  • AP Standard: 5.11

Objectives

  • Students will be able to:

    • Explain the challenges and debates related to solving the environmental and societal consequences of modern agriculture.

Vocabulary

  • Biotechnology: Technology used to manipulate living organisms for agricultural purposes.

  • Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs): Organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering.

  • Aquaculture: The cultivation of aquatic organisms, especially for food.

  • Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.

  • Biodiversity: The variety of life in the world or a particular habitat.

  • Fertilizer: Chemical or natural substances added to soil to increase its fertility.

  • Pesticide: Chemicals used to kill pests.

  • Urban farming: Growing or producing food in urban areas.

  • Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): A system in which consumers buy shares of a farm's harvest in advance.

  • Organic farming: Farming without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

  • Value-added agricultural products: Products that have been processed or converted into something more valuable.

  • Specialty crops: Crops grown for specific markets.

  • Fair trade: Trade between companies in developed countries and producers in developing countries that ensures fair prices.

  • Local food/Slow food: Food that is produced locally and often emphasizes traditional and sustainable agricultural practices.

  • Food desert: An area with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

  • Suburbanization: The process of population movement from within cities to the suburbs.

  • Economies of scale: Cost advantages reaped by companies when production becomes efficient.

  • Distribution systems: The methods used to get food from producers to consumers.

  • Food production practices: Methods and techniques used in the growing and harvesting of food.

Access to Food

  • Geographic factors impact food access, causing varying degrees of food availability.

  • Issues exist globally, with some individuals failing to meet caloric needs and others facing poor nutrition despite having access to food.

Food Insecurity

  • Definition: A lack of consistent access to enough food for active, healthy living (USDA).

  • Statistics (2021):

    • US population: 331.9 million;

    • Food-insecure households: 33.8 million;

    • Adults in very low food security households: 8.6 million;

    • Children in food-insecure households: 5 million.

Food Insecurity Statistics (2021)

  • Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES): Moderate and severe food insecurity defined.

  • Moderate food insecurity: Inability to eat healthy, nutritious diets regularly.

  • Severe food insecurity: Insufficient food quantity.

Global Map Data (FIES)

  • Eastern Africa: 58.9% food insecurity

  • Southern Asia: 41.3%

  • Latin America & Caribbean: 39%

  • Western Asia: 36.5%

  • Other regions have lower rates down to 4.9% in Western Europe.

Food Deserts

  • Definition: Areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.

  • USDA Criteria: Low-income areas over 1 mile in urban areas and 10 miles in rural areas from the nearest grocery store.

Food Desert Map: Austin

  • Illustrates low-income and low-access areas in Austin for food access in 2019.

Causes of Food Insecurity

  • Political Factors:

    • Government subsidies favoring large agribusinesses.

  • Economic Factors:

    • Choices by stores to avoid low-income areas, leading to profit loss.

  • Social Factors:

    • Perceptions of crime leading to store location decisions and complexity in supply chains.

Quote on Food Insecurity

  • Referencing Jean-Jacques Rousseau's quote regarding food access and the disconnect between classes.

Addressing Food Access Issues

  • The history of agricultural revolutions has aimed to improve food access.

  • Currently entering the 4th agricultural revolution (Ag 4.0).

Ag 4.0 Innovations

  • Agricultural advances leveraging technology for large-scale production.

  • Focus on:

    • Biotechnology,

    • GMOs,

    • Large-scale aquaculture.

  • Attempting to improve economies of scale to lower food costs for affordability.

Concerns with Modern Industrial Agriculture

  • Sustainability Issues:

    • Heavy use of resources like synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

    • Consequences: soil depletion and pollution.

  • Equity Concerns:

    • Increased affordability may compromise nutritional value and access.

  • Farmland Loss:

    • Suburbanization leads to reduced agricultural land.

Complex Food Supply Chain Challenges

  • Events causing supply chain disruptions:

    • COVID-19 pandemic,

    • Suez Canal blockage,

    • Natural disasters (Texas Polar Vortex, Florida crop loss).

Alternatives to Ag 4.0

  • Innovations from Ag 4.0 can be sustainable based on their usage.

  • Agroecology: Combining natural systems with technological solutions for sustainable, nutritious food production.

Food Choice Movements

  • Organic Food: No synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

  • Dietary Shifts: Adoption of varying diets (vegetarian, vegan, etc.) and boycotting certain companies.

  • Local Food Initiatives: Supporting local production through CSAs.

Food Production Movements

  • Aligning with food choice movements:

    • Urban Agriculture: Growing food in cities.

    • Value Added Agriculture: Transforming raw farm products into higher-value foods (e.g. cheese, pickles).

    • Specialty Crops: Uncommon crops for niche markets (e.g. microgreens, industrial hemp).

Local Urban Agriculture Examples

  • USBAR Urban Farm Guesthaus: Located in Austin, Texas.

  • Sustainable Center: Hosts events focused on sustainable food practices.

Conclusion

  • Local Harvest Austin: Focused on supporting local agriculture through community initiatives.