Unit 5 - Food

• The Invisible Tragedy


  40 million people die from starvation or disease caused by malnutrition

  - more than 100,000 people everyday
• The Green Revolution


  - Land breeders produced new strains of plants

  - Chemists produced pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers

  - Engineers extended our irrigation system worldwide, more than DOUBLING the area under the irrigation from 100 million hectares to 250 million hectares between 1959 & 1990
• The Green Revolution - Production Levels

  1950-70

  - food output doubled, 40% increase per capita

  - decreased by 12%

  1950-88

  - Seafood production increased by 126% per capita

  - decreased by 9%

  1950-72

  - Meat production increased by 36%

  - decreased by 13%
• Long Term Problems and Challenges

  1. Feed 8 billion people now

  2. Feed 9-10 billion people in the next 30-40 years

  3. Do 1 and 2 without destroying the world's ecosystem
• Problems to Overcome


  - Soil Erosion

  - Desertification

  - Depletion of Soil Nutrients

  - High Energy Costs

  - Ground Water Depletion

  - Competition for Water

  - Conversion of Farmland

  - Pests and Diseases

  - Politics
• Problems to Overcome - Soil Erosion

  - healthy soil is a complex mix of inorganic and organic matter

  - slit

  - clay

  - sand gravel

  - organic matter

  - wind water

  - overgrazing
• Problems to Overcome - Desertification

  12 million hectares are lost/yr
• Problems to Overcome - Depletion of Soil Nutrients

  nutrients must be replaced with fertilizers made of FF
• Problems to Overcome - High Energy Costs

  - fuel powers the farm machinery

  - electricity, oil, and natural gas run the food processing plants

  - natural gas is the chemical feedstock for the pesticide industry

  - fuel power shipping

  - up to 10x FF for each unit of energy produced
• Problems to Overcome - Ground Water Depletion

  - reduction around the globe of 1 m/yr

  - natural replacement of 10cm-50cm a year
• Problems to Overcome - Pests & Diseases

  rats, mice, insects, birds, bacteria and fungus destroy between30-40%of the total agricultural output- % is higher in LDC's
• Canadian Food Loss


  - On Farm - 10%

  - Processing - 20%

  - Transportation and Distribution - 4%

  - Restaurants and Hotels - 9%

  - Retail - 10%

  - Consumers - 47%
• Problems to Overcome - Politics

  - war and rebellions (can affect access and production of food)

  - Farm Surplus Disposal Act

  - Central Policy Decisions - Russia
• GMO's


  - inject the gene of interest into the DNA of your target cell

  - was first used for medicine

  - insulin (used to treat diabetics)
• 2 Issues with GMO's

  1. Human Health

  - toxic compounds i.e. potatoes with BT

  - immune system issues i.e. Canola (allergies)

  2. Ecosystem

  - new organisms in the wild i.e. Canola

  - toxic effects on non target species i.e. BT and the Monarch Butterfly
• Solutions for GMO's


  1. Labeling

  - are 20% cheaper

  - immune system issues are solved by labeling

  2. Neutral Testing

  - separate testing from promotion (no bias)