Animals and the Environment: Food and Water Security - Sustainable Agriculture Notes

Learning Outcomes and Global Objectives

• Conceptual Framework: The course focuses on identifying the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), defining food and water security, and analyzing the management of food and water resources on both a global scale and specifically within New Zealand (NZ).

• The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

  • Also known as the "Global Goals," these are a collection of $17$ interlinked objectives.

  • Purpose: Designed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in $2015$ as a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all."

  • Timeline: Target achievement date is the year $2030$.

  • The $17$ Goals are:

    1. No Poverty

    2. Zero Hunger

    3. Good Health and Well-being

    4. Quality Education

    5. Gender Equality

    6. Clean Water and Sanitation

    7. Affordable and Clean Energy

    8. Decent Work and Economic Growth

    9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

    10. Reduced Inequalities

    11. Sustainable Cities and Communities

    12. Responsible Consumption and Production

    13. Climate Action

    14. Life Below Water

    15. Life on Land

    16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

    17. Partnerships for the Goals

Food Security: Definition and Global Status

• Definition of Food Security: According to the UN, food security is characterized by four primary pillars:

  • Reliable Access: Constant and dependable access to food.

  • Availability: Food is present in sufficient quantities.

  • Affordability: The population has the financial means to purchase food.

  • Nutritional Quality: The available food provides necessary health benefits.

• Current Global Food Crisis:

  • Approximately $1.3 \text{ billion}$ people (roughly $17.2\%$ of the global population) currently lack regular access to sufficient, nutritious food.

• Production Trends:

  • Meat Production: The world produces more than four times the amount of meat compared to $50$ years ago, with current production exceeding $340 \text{ million tonnes}$.

  • Milk Production: Global milk production is about $800 \text{ million tonnes}$ per year, which is more than double the output of $50$ years ago.

Global Land Use and Population Dynamics

• Earth Surface Distribution:

  • Total Land: $29\%$ of Earth's surface ($149 \text{ million } km^2$).

  • Total Ocean: $71\%$ of Earth's surface ($361 \text{ million } km^2$).

• Breakdown of Land Surface ($149 \text{ million } km^2$):

  • Habitable Land: $71\%$ ($104 \text{ million } km^2$).

  • Glaciers: $10\%$ ($15 \text{ million } km^2$).

  • Barren Land: $19\%$ ($28 \text{ million } km^2$).

• Breakdown of Habitable Land ($104 \text{ million } km^2$):

  • Agriculture: $50\%$ ($51 \text{ million } km^2$).

  • Forests: $37\%$ ($39 \text{ million } km^2$).

  • Shrub: $11\%$ ($12 \text{ million } km^2$).

  • Urban and Built-up Land: $1\%$ ($1.5 \text{ million } km^2$).

  • Freshwater: $1\%$ ($1.5 \text{ million } km^2$).

• Agricultural Land Use Allocation:

  • Livestock (Meat and Dairy): Utilizes $77\%$ of agricultural land ($40 \text{ million } km^2$), including grazing land and land for animal feed production. However, it only provides $18\%$ of global calories and $37\%$ of global protein.

  • Crops (Plant-based): Utilizes $23\%$ of agricultural land ($11 \text{ million } km^2$), providing $82\%$ of global calories and $63\%$ of global protein.

• Peak Agricultural Land:

  • Data from HYDE 3.2, FAO, and Taylor and Rising (2021) suggest the world passed "peak agricultural land" in the $1990\text{s}$ or around $2000$.

  • This is primarily due to a reduction in global pasture land, although global cropland use continues to rise.

  • Caveat: Pasture land continues to increase in tropical regions, often replacing carbon-rich habitats.

• Demographic Outlook:

  • Population growth peaked at over $2\%$ in the late $1960\text{s}$ and is now just over $1\%$ per year.

  • Historical Growth: Under $2 \text{ billion}$ in $1900$ to approximately $8 \text{ billion}$ in $2023$.

  • Projection: Expected to reach $9.9 \text{ billion}$ by $2050$. To feed this population, global food production must increase by approximately $50\%$.

Global Meat and Dairy Production Trends

• Shifting Diets: Transitioning away from starch-based diets toward meat and dairy as incomes rise in many nations.

• Regional Dominance: Asia is the largest producer of both meat and milk globally. New Zealand ranks $8^{th}$ in milk production.

• Meat Types:

  • Pigmeat: Remains the most popular meat globally.

  • Poultry: Currently the fastest-growing sector of meat production.

• New Zealand Context (1961-2018): Beef and buffalo production has historically dominated NZ meat output, with sheep and goat production also significant, while poultry has seen steady increases in recent decades.

New Zealand's Primary Industry Economy (2024 Outlook)

• Government Ambition: Doubling the value of exports within the next $10$ years.

• Export Revenue Statistics (Forecast for year ending June 30, 2025):

  • Total Revenue: $\$56.9 \text{ billion}$.

  • Contribution: The food and fibre sector accounts for $81.1\%$ of New Zealand's goods exports and $10\%$ of the national GDP (direct contribution including production and processing).

  • Employment: Approximately $360,000$ people ($12.4\%$ of the workforce) were employed in the sector as of March $2023$.

• Major Export Markets (by value):

  • China: $\$16.815 \text{ billion}$.

  • USA: $\$6.517 \text{ billion}$.

  • Australia: $\$4.498 \text{ billion}$.

  • EU: $\$3.374 \text{ billion}$.

  • Japan: $\$2.741 \text{ billion}$.

• Food Price Index: Commodity prices for dairy, meat, and cereals have shown steady increases since early $2022$, partially impacted by international conflicts (e.g., Russia-Ukraine).

Water Security and Management

• Foundational Principles: Water is a human right and a precondition for human existence. SDG 6 aims to ensure water and sanitation for all by $2030$.

• UN-Water Definition (2013): "The capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability."

• Threats: Water scarcity is the most common threat, driven by low rainfall, climate change, high population density, and overallocation.

• Hydrological Statistics:

  • Global annual precipitation on land: $110,000 \text{ } km^3$.

  • Evapotranspiration (Natural/Forests): $56\%$.

  • Rainfed Agriculture: $5\%$.

  • Renewable Freshwater (Surface runoff and groundwater): $39\%$ ($43,000 \text{ } km^3$ per year).

• Types of Water Withdrawal (AQUASTAT - FAO):

  1. Agricultural: Includes irrigation, livestock, and aquaculture. This is the largest consumer, accounting for $60\%$ to $70\%$ of annual withdrawals globally.

  2. Municipal: Domestic use.

  3. Industrial: Includes energy production.

• Regional Withdrawal Ratios (Agriculture/Municipal/Industrial):

  • Africa: $82\%/13\%/5\%$.

  • Asia: $81\%/10\%/9\%$.

  • Oceania: $60\%/15\%/25\%$.

  • Americas: $51\%/34\%/15\%$.

  • Europe: $21\%/22\%/57\%$.

• Water Intensity for Food Production (Liters per 1kg product):

  • Beef: $5,000$ to $20,000 \text{ L}$.

  • Chocolate: $∼17,000 \text{ L}$.

  • Rice: $3,000$ to $5,000 \text{ L}$.

  • Soya: $∼2,000 \text{ L}$.

Future Challenges and Solutions in Agriculture

• Projected Crisis:

  • Global water demand (freshwater withdrawals) is projected to increase by $55\%$ by $2050$.

  • By $2050$, over $40\%$ of the global population will likely live in areas of severe water stress.

  • While global freshwater is technically sufficient, it is distributed unequally and exacerbated by climate change.

• Role of Agricultural Management:

  • $80\%$ of global cropland is rainfed. Supplemental irrigation in these systems can double or triple yields for crops like wheat, sorghum, and maize.

  • Efficiency Measures: Saving water and energy requires precision (drip) irrigation, desalination, drought-tolerant plant varieties, and efficient wastewater recycling.

  • Conclusion: Sustainability of food security is impossible without improving water management, especially as a large portion of output occurs in water-stressed regions.