MN

Food & Hunger

Food & Hunger

Green Revolution

  • Founding Figure: Norman Borlaug is considered the founder and received the Nobel Peace Prize for his contributions.

  • Technological Advancements:

    • Dramatically increased yields from one plot of land.

    • Resulted in reduced food prices in many areas globally.

    • Decreased the amount of land needed to grow the same amount of food.

    • Involved breeding disease resistance into plants.

Example of Plant Breeding

  • Process:

    • Begin with two parent plants: one resistant to diseases A and B and another resistant to disease C.

    • Inbreeding and Selection:

    • Inbred parental line 1 is resistant to diseases A and B but not thriving.

    • Inbred parental line 1 resistant to disease C is also not thriving.

    • Result: F1 hybrid combines traits, resistant to diseases A, B, and C, and thriving.

Downsides of the Green Revolution

  • Biodiversity Concerns:

    • Leads to a lack of biodiversity, posing a risk of catastrophic failure.

  • Soil Degradation:

    • Quality of soil is reduced over time due to intensive farming practices.

  • Dependence on Chemicals:

    • Pesticides and fertilizers are necessary, raising sustainability questions in its current form.

  • Environmental Impact:

    • Reference to the 2017 map showcasing a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico due to agricultural runoff.

Food Access and Hunger

  • Chronic Undernutrition:

    • Defined as individuals who cannot grow or buy sufficient food to meet basic energy needs, threatening their health and productivity.

  • Percentage of Malnourished Population:

    • Discussion on the change in malnourishment over time.

Macronutrients and Micronutrients

  • Malnourishment Definition:

    • A nutritional imbalance caused by a lack of specific dietary components or inability to absorb essential nutrients.

  • Categories:

    • Macronutrients: Necessary in larger quantities (carbohydrates, proteins, fats).

    • Micronutrients: Needed in smaller amounts (vitamins and minerals).

Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies

  • At least 2 billion people worldwide suffer from deficiencies:

    • Vitamin A

    • Iron

    • Iodine

    • Vitamin B12

  • Illustration:

    • Importance of iodine represented in its pure form.

Food Deserts

  • Definition: Areas where healthy food is unavailable or unaffordable, affecting both urban and rural areas.

  • Classification Factors:

    • Based on availability of public transportation, vehicle ownership, distance to stores, and average income.

  • Example:

    • Mississippi River delta counties average 1 supermarket per 190 square miles.

    • Broome County’s area is 715 square miles.

  • Solutions Implemented:

    • Pennsylvania's Fresh Food Financing Initiative (initiated in 2004).

    • Baltimore’s virtual supermarket program.

Food Insecurity in Binghamton

  • 23.5% of Broome County residents are food insecure.

  • Initiatives mentioned: Binghamton University’s Food Rescue and Food Pantry, Binghamton Farm Share.

Urban Gardening as a Solution to Food Deserts

  • Case Study: Ron Finley, who lived in a food desert in South Los Angeles, began planting crops in parkways, leading to a change in city laws.

  • Community Gardening:

    • Significant increase in popularity, with 18,000 community gardens across the US—a 25% increase since 2010.

    • Benefits: Fosters connection to land and community; can provide food security.

  • Challenges:

    • Lack of financial resources.

    • Contaminated soil.

    • Limited land availability.

    • City statutes constraining where food can be grown.

Key Food Sources

  • Three major crops identified as critical staples:

    • Wheat

    • Rice

    • Corn

Production of Staple Crops

  • Citation: Zhou, M. X. (2009). Barley production and consumption in "Genetics and improvement of barley malt quality" (pp. 1-17). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Unsustainable Agriculture: Meat-Intensive Diet

  • Discussion of the Standard American Diet:

    • Viewed as a symbol of wealth and a desirable goal.

    • Contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and is very resource-intensive (land and water).

    • Identified as the #1 cause of Amazon deforestation and soil erosion.

    • Associated health issues include a higher burden of chronic diseases and antibiotic resistance, with 80% of antibiotics sold in the US being used for livestock.

The Growing Global Hunger for Meat

  • Worldwide annual production of meat measured in million tonnes (carcass weight equivalent):

    • Poultry: 143 million tonnes

    • Pig: 122 million tonnes

    • Bovine: 76 million tonnes

    • Ovine: 17 million tonnes

  • Production by Type in 2023:

    • Historical data presented from 1961 to 2023, highlighting a trend in production growth (e.g., 364 million tonnes in 2023 predictions).

Fish Landings and the Collapse of Atlantic Cod Stocks

  • Historical Data: Fish landings tracked from 1850 to 2000, indicating trends leading to the 1992 collapse of Atlantic cod stocks off the East Coast of Newfoundland.

Fishing Techniques

  • Types:

    • Trawling: Involves dragging a large net along the seafloor.

    • Purse-seine fishing: Targets surface-dwelling species with nets up to 2,000m long and 250m in depth.

    • Long-lining: Utilizes lines with baited hooks for species such as swordfish, tuna, sharks, halibut, cod.

  • Bycatch Issues: Significant bycatch of non-target species including dolphins, turtles, and seabirds.

Aquaculture

  • Suggested as a solution to depleting wild populations but presents challenges such as waste buildup, disease, and the creation of dead zones.

Solutions to Bycatch: Legislation

  • Environmental activism led to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972:

    • Prohibits the killing or sale of marine mammals.

    • Mandates management for “optimum sustained populations” for tuna fisheries.

    • Allows for some accidental dolphin deaths, provided their populations remain above “sustainable” thresholds.

    • Goal to reduce dolphin mortality to zero over time; loopholes have permitted continued deaths.

Dolphin Bycatch Statistics

  • Data showing dolphin mortality attributed to U.S. fishing vessels from 1960 to 1996.

Further Advancements from Consumer Activism

  • Actions by the Earth Island Institute in the late 1980s initiated a consumer boycott of canned tuna advocating for “dolphin-safe” labeling, resulting in a significant industry shift.

  • Tuna companies adopted dolphin-safe practices and labels; foreign tuna was banned due to lack of proof of such practices.

Eco Labels: Examining Effectiveness

  • Complexity of Green Certification:

    • Fewer dolphins killed, but tuna still overharvested; "dolphin-safe" does not mean ecologically sustainable.

    • Certification involves costs and isn't available to all producers.

    • Potential conflicts of interest arise when companies must pay for certification.