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Food Production Systems

Food Production Systems. UNIT: Land Use Today: Agriculture. When you think of food production.. . … what do you think of..?. Practices of Conventional Agriculture. Built on 2 related goals: Maximization of production and Maximization of profit

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Food Production Systems

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  1. Food Production Systems UNIT: Land Use Today: Agriculture

  2. When you think of food production.. … what do you think of..?

  3. Practices of Conventional Agriculture • Built on 2 related goals: • Maximization of production and • Maximization of profit In pursuit of these goals six basic practices have been developed.

  4. monoculture *industrial approach to growing 1 crop in a field on a very extensive scale. Allow for: • More efficient use of machinery for cultivation and harvest • Creates economies of scale for purchasing seed, fertilizer and pesticides • Easier to control irrigation, application of chemicals and pest control.

  5. Application of Synthetic Fertilizers *9 million tons used in 1940; 40 million tons in 1980. • Produced in large quantities with low cost fossil fuels and mined mineral deposits. • Can be easily and uniformly applied • Meets plants needs

  6. Irrigation Supplying water from aquifers, reservoirs and diverted rivers. • Allows for agriculture where water is the limiting factor in food production. • 16% of agricultural land in irrigated.

  7. Chemical Pest and Weed Control Scientific weapon to destroy pests which ate up crops and profits. • Global sales reached $25 billion in 1994. • Kills bugs

  8. Manipulation of Plant Genomes Manipulation of plant genes • Hybrid seeds- combining characters of 2 or more plant strains. • More productive than nonhybrids • Require optimal conditions • Ability to splice non plant genomes into plants

  9. The Unsustainability of Food Production Systems UNIT: Land Use Today: Agriculture

  10. Food Production Is Managed like a an industrial process: So what does this mean to how food is produced..?

  11. Intensive tillage *Practice of cultivating the soil completely, deeply and several times a year with heavy machinery • Poor soil quality, because there is not protection or cover. • Soil becomes compacted from heavy machinery • Increases soil erosion • Increases the need for even more tillage

  12. monoculture *industrial approach to growing 1 crop in a field on a very extensive scale. Allow for: • Replaces polyculture subsistence. • Require intense pesticide application • Susceptible to attack by pests & disease

  13. Application of Synthetic Fertilizers *9 million tons used in 1940; 40 million tons in 1980. • Minerals easily leak from fields • Most fertilizers end up in streams, lakes and rivers • Can end up in drinking water sources • Cost fluctuates with price of fossil fuels

  14. Irrigation Supplying water from aquifers, reservoirs and diverted rivers. • Has a great impact on local water cycle. • Is generally pumped faster than it can be replenished- destabilizing the land above • Competition for water with water-dependent wildlife and urban areas • Increases runoff of fertilzers, pesticides and soil erosion

  15. Chemical Pest and Weed Control Scientific weapon to destroy pests which ate up crops and profits. • Can kill natural predators of pests in short term. • Lead to population explosions of pests • Creates dependence • Creates resistance in pests • Impact on pests in the long term is null • Impact the environment and human health.

  16. The Need for Sustainability Food Production Systems UNIT: Land Use Today: Agriculture

  17. Loss of local control Dramatic decline of Small Farms • Loss of knowledge of sustainable production • Experience is lost and replaced by ‘purchased’ [energy] inputs. • Increase in food dollar going to distributors and dollars. • Ag land is converted to urban centers and development. • Food is destined for export. • Many people in developing nations go hungry

  18. When you think of food production.. … what does sustainability mean..?

  19. What is Sustainability? Ecological basis • Being able to harvest biomass continually because the systemhas the ability to renew itself in the future • The proof of sustainability remains in the future. • Demonstrate moving towards sustainability. • What farming practices can be considered sustainable?

  20. Sustainable Agriculture Minimal impact on Environment • Minimal negative impacts onenvironment • Release no toxic or damaging substances into the -atmosphere-groundwater-surface water

  21. Protect Soil *Preserve Soils • Protect fertility • Prevent erosion • Maintain ecological health

  22. Water preservation *Using water to: • Allow aquifers to be recharged • Allow water needs of environmentto be met • Allow water needs of people to be met

  23. Local Resources Use resources within local ecosystem • As well as from nearby communities • Replacing external inputs with nutrient cycling • Better conservation • Expand ecological knowledge base

  24. Conservation Works towards valuing and conserv-ing biological diversity • Wild diversity • Domesticated diversity

  25. Equality of Access Equal access to • Appropriate agriculturalpractices, knowledge and technologies • Local control of agricultural resources

  26. Sustainable Agriculture • Farming in the future must be both sustainable AND highly productive • Cannot abandon

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