Food supply
... reduced tillage crop rotation more efficient irrigation organic farming integrated pest management Surprising facts about organic agriculture - not all small-scale family farms, agrobusinesses too Examples growing business Organic milk industry more concentrated than regular milk industry 3 firms – 95% Example: Horizon advantages of vertical integration/consolidation: disadvantages: III. Food production and famine Last 40 yrs: average population growth = 1.7%/yr; average food production increase = 2.2%/yr Currently: enough total world food production for 2800 calories/person/day However, 815 million people lack adequate food/nutrition Two implications of this. Malthus’ predictions not correct Thomas Malthus, 1798, “An essay on the principle of population” Said Population increases geometrically (1,2,4,8,16, 32)..while food supply increases arithmetically (1,2,3,4,5..) predicted famine from lack of total food production This is not what’s happened – past 2 centuries – food production growth > population growth Lack of access to food rather than lack of total food production leads to starvation, hunger, etc. lack of access to food – lack of economic power or ability to obtain food Evidence: (A) Famines in India late 1800s 1876-79 – 6-10 million deaths from starvation; exports to England 1896-1902 – 6-18 million deaths from starvation; grain available in storage No famine in which ALL groups of people in a country have suffered from starvation (B) More evidence – Green Revolution 1970-1990 – total food availability per person rose by 11% Mexico, India, Philippines (major Green Revolution successes): exports increased; still have hungry people India in 2001: starvation deaths in 13 states; 80 million tons of excess food Intensification of inputs – environmental effects, expensive inputs, favor big farmers Some causes of lack of access to food Political upheavals Poverty, market structure Pressure to grow export crops Structure of Ag, eg. 1/3 of world’s grain crops are used as livestock feed Inequitable land ownership: 7% of landowners in Latin America own/control 93% of productive ag. land IV. Genetically Modified Organisms GMOs and hunger - many claims that GMOs can end hunger Why? : some crops engineered to mature faster; some for higher yields more nutrients improved resistance etc. Ex: US trade dispute with EU Possible benefits of GMOs health arguments nutritional levels vaccines, etc Environmental arguments one type of GMO: reduced insecticide use another type: conservation tillage (less soil erosion), eg. Roundup Ready Possible problems with and objections to GMOs Ethical arguments Human health and safety allergies ...