Transcript Root Cause of Hunger - Pendleton

Agriculture, Biotechnology &
the Future of Food
Chap 10
Hunger
• lack of basic food required for energy and for meeting
nutritional needs. Unable to lead a normal healthy life
• Root Cause of Hunger:
POVERTY
1.2 billion people live in absolute poverty:
lack of income to meet the basic needs of food, shelter &
clothing. ($1/day)
FAO Hunger Map
Modern Food Production Methods
Food Sources: Livestock
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Chickens, Pigs, other fowl (US) (fyi)
~7.6 billion chickens slaughtered 2008
2009: 56 lb/capita
~93 million pigs slaughtered 2008
2012: 249 eggs consumed/person
Ruminants
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4 chambered stomach
Cattle, sheep, goats, water buffalo, camel, llama
Cellulose Human Food
Produce ~100 million tons of methane,+ 30 million
through manure decomposition.
Cattle (US)
• 1/1/09 94.5
million head of
cattle
• 2008—27.3
billion lbs
consumed
• 190 million lbs of
milk produced
fyi
• The Meatrix
• Farm Locations
• Use of Sow Gestation Crates
Food Sources: Aquaculture
• Production of food from aquatic habitats. Esp.
important source of protein in Asia & Europe.
• Freshwater: fish grown in the same pond
w/plants, or in rice fields. Waste acts as
fertilizer.
– carp, tilapia, crayfish, eels, catfish, salmon.
• Mariculture: ocean fish. Limited production
Mussels and Oysters are grown on rafts
(Portugal), artificial pilings (WA)
• Issues w/aquaculture
– Confinement stresses fish
– Spread of disease & parasites
– Concentration of PCBs, heavy metals in
fishmeal fed to stocks, fish waste
Limits to Food Production
• Land available.
• Upper limit of production for amount of
fertilizer applied.
• Climatic changes will tend to decrease yield.
• Water Availability
Without modern technology, little is
sustainable.
“The Green Revolution”:
• Development of larger yields through breeding, tech,
chemical use. 1950s
– Norman Borlaug: Father of Green Revolution. Nobel Peace
Prize 1970. died Sept 2009
• Improved Irrigation Methods: Drip method to slowly
add water.
• Chemical Pesticides & Herbicides
• Increasing Available Land: including Hydroponics—
growth in fertilized water on artificial substrate.
• Eating Lower on Food Chain: less production needed.
• Genetic Modification: Similar to goals of the Green
Revolution, but by directly modifying DNA
Pest Control
• Major Pests: Insects, nematodes, bacterial &
viral disease, weeds, vertebrates (rodents, birds)
• Pesticides: Herbicides, insecticides.
– Broad Spectrum: Kills target pest as well as others
– Narrow Spectrum: Kills only target pest.
– End up in watersheds and waterways
DDT: Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane
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Excellent mosquito repellent
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson 1962
Banned in US 1972
Slow to break down
Fat-Soluble, biomagnifies in birds, fish.
• Natural Plant Chemicals
• Integrated Pest Management
(IPM)
– Natural Predators of Pests (ex:
ladybugs eat aphids that destroy
roses)
– Plant diversity in crops
– Insect bacterial diseases
– Pheromones of insects
– Narrow Spectrum Pesticides
– Bt (bacillus thuringiensis) use-soil
bacteria used as insecticide
Bt toxins present in peanut
leaves (bottom image)
protect it from extensive
damage caused by
European corn borer larvae
(top image).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis
The Organic Movement and
Locovores
• To Be Organic:
– No pesticides on land for 3 years
– No GMOs
– No synthetic fertilizers or most pesticides
– Animals: No hormones or antibiotics, access
to outdoors
• Locovore:
– buying food grown within 100 miles of home
– CSAs— Fernbrook
Genetically Modified Organisms
– Placing genes of one species into another.
– Pros:
• Bred w/better nutrients (golden rice)
• Durability & production (tomatoes, salmon, papaya)
• Built-in pest resistance (Bt, Roundup Ready)
– 93% of US soy & cotton, 86% US corn
– Cons:
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Decreasing biodiversity, interbreeding w/wild crops
Possibly creating super resistance in pests/weeds
Allergies
Terminator Gene
+Prevents spread of genes since seeds can’t reproduce
– Creates monopoly for developers