Resources food

• Resources


  Substances of the environment that are used or may be used under specific technologies & socioeconomic conditions
• Reserves


  Quantities of a resource that are known & available for exploitation with current technology and prices
• Projected Reserves


  Estimates of the quantity likely to be added to reserves because of discoveries & changes in prices & technology
• Renewable Resources


  • Flow Resources: water, sunlight
  • Stock Resources: soil, forests, & animals
• Maximum sustainable yield


  Maximum production consistent with maintaining future productivity of a renewable resource
• Non-renewable Resources


  Finite masses of material such as fossil fuels or metals which can run out
• Non-renewable Resources


  • Oil
  • Coal
  • Natural gas
• Energy Resources - Oil


  • Persian Gulf Zone: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Gulf States
  • North African Zone: Algeria, Egypt, Libya
  • Caspian Sea Zone: Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan
• The USA has 5% of the world's population & consumes 23-25% of the world's energy
• Developing Countries have 80% of the world's population but consumes only 30% of the world's energy
• Fossil Fuels and Climate Change
• Possible Solutions


  • Natural Gas: less polluting & harder to transport
  • Electric Cars: Dependent on batteries
  • Fuel-efficient automobiles: hybrids
  • Mass Transit: public funding
• Poorer Countries average 2,100 calories/day
• Wealthier Countries average 3,300 calories/day
• The world produces enough food to feed itself
• Reasons for mal-distribution of food


  • Markets. Food goes to those with money
  • Civil unrest and warfare
  • Bad transport systems and storage
  • Environmental. Desertification
  • Government policies can discourage production
  • Pests and weeds
• How to Increase Food Production


  • Use land that is not farmed in Africa, South America, USA, Australia, Europe
  • Raise Productivity of existing agricultural land via science and technology
  • Cultivate the oceans: overfishing? Fish Farms: tilapia, salmon
  • More efficient use of food. eat more grain, waste less food, less junk food
  • Promote Soy Beans. high protein, low-fat & efficient. Tofu, artificial meat
• The World Food Programme of the United Nations estimates 800 million people go hungry every day and 1,000 children die daily related to malnutrition
• Current Problem areas


  • North Korea
  • Ethiopia
  • Yeman
  • Sudan
  • Somalia
• USDA and US Government programs for food security in LDCs


  • Food Aid: direct food aid to problem countries
  • Biotechnology: support research
  • Infrastructure: aid to maintain and build roads storage, and food safety
• Green Revolution of the 1960s 70s, 80s.


  A. New high-yielding, varieties of wheat, corn, rice.

  B. Chemical fertilizers, pesticides & herbicides, large-scale 1-crop production.

  C. Problems with Green Revolution: Needs controlled water supplies and capital(money & machinery).Corn, wheat, rice low in protein.

  Limited to countries: India, Mexico, Korea and wealthier farmers.