Solutions to Environmental Problems Associated with Food Production Monday, February 29 th, 2016

BUT, I’m HUNGRY! What can we do?

Answer: 1.Adopt sustainable agriculture (low input practices that cost less and are less damaging) 2. Change Food Subsidies 3. Coupled with genetic engineering. 3. Eat new foods

#1. What is sustainable agriculture? Two major ways to increase world’s food production: 1.Increase crop yields 2.Increase the amount of land used

Sustainable Agriculture Method of growing crops and raising livestock based on organic fertilizers, soil conservation, water conservation, biological pest control, and minimal use of nonrenewable fossil fuel energy.

Fig , p. 310 Solutions More Sustainable Agriculture MoreLess High-yield polyculture Soil erosion Organic fertilizers Biological pest control Water pollution Soil salinization Aquifer depletion Integrated pest management Overgrazing Efficient irrigation Perennial crops Loss of biodiversity and agrobiodiversity Crop rotation Fossil fuel use Overfishing Water-efficient crops Greenhouse gas emissions Soil conservation Subsidies for unsustainable farming Subsidies for sustainable farming

Organic Food Produced without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, & fungicides No GMFs Organic meat/dairy -100% organically grown feed -Outdoor pasture -No hormones/antibiotics

Produce Meat More Efficiently and Humanely Shift to more grain- efficient forms of protein Beef from rangelands & pastures, not feedlots Develop meat substitutes; eat less meat Efficiency of Converting Grain into Animal Protein

Sustainable Practices A.Diversifying products 1.Crop rotation 2.Conservation tillage 3.Contour plowing B.Low input farming with water/energy conservation C.Natural predator/prey relationships over chemical pesticides D.Natural fertilizers from manure vs. commercial fertilizers

#2. Government Agriculture Policy Government Assistance – Keep food prices artificially low – Give farmers subsidies – Eliminate most or all price controls and subsidies and let farmers/fishers respond to market demand

Environmentalists think… Use subsidies to reward farmers/fishers/ranchers who: - Protect the soil - Conserve water - Reforest degraded land - Protect and restore wetlands - Conserve wildlife - Practice more sustainable agriculture/fishing/ranching

#3 Genetic Engineering Crossbreeding and artificial selection Genetic engineering (gene splicing) Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

What are Genetically Modified Foods? *

To increase crop yields, we can mix the genes of similar types of organisms and mix the genes of different organisms. – Artificial selection has been used for centuries to develop genetically improved varieties of crops. – Genetic engineering develops improved strains at an exponential pace compared to artificial selection. Genetically Modified Organisms

GMO- scientists directly alter the genes of organisms including crop plants and livestock GM crops are modified to be- – Herbicide resistant so farmers can spray herbicide on weeds w/o killing their crops – Pest resistant – Ice resistant (strawberries)

Genetic engineering is like, and unlike, traditional breeding Traditional breeding changes organisms through selective breeding of the same or similar species – Works with entire organisms in the field – Genes come together on their own – Uses the process of selection Genetic engineering mixes genes of different species – Works with genetic material in the lab – Directly creates novel combinations of genes – Resembles the process of mutation

 Controversy has arisen over the use of genetically modified food (GMF). – Critics fear that we know too little about the long- term potential harm to human and ecosystem health.  There is controversy over legal ownership of genetically modified crop varieties and whether GMFs should be labeled. Genetically Modified Organisms

Genetic Engineering Wild plants/animals genetic diversity Domesticated plants/animals genetic diversity as certain characteristics are selected for Genetic diversity means species are more susceptible to new strains of disease, increasing risk of total species loss.

Phase 1 Make Modified Gene Identify and extract gene with desired trait Identify and remove portion of DNA with desired trait Remove plasmid from DNA of E. coli Insert extracted DNA (step 2) into plasmid (step3) Insert modified plasmid into E. coli Grow in tissue culture to make copies cell gene DNA Plasmid E. coli DNA Genetically modified plasmid

Phase 2 Make Transgenic Cell Transfer plasmid copies to a carrier agrobacterium Agrobacterium inserts foreign DNA into plant cell to yield transgenic cell Transfer plasmid to surface microscopic metal particle Use gene gun to inject DNA into plant cell A. tumefaciens (agrobacterium) Plant cell Nucleus Host DNA Foreign DNA

Phase 3 Grow Genetically Engineered Plant Transgenic cell from Phase 2 Cell division of transgenic cells Culture cells to form plantlets Transgenic plants with new traits 1)Half the time as conventional crossbreeding 2)Cuts costs 3)Allows insertion of genes from almost any other organism

Fig , p. 294 Trade-Offs Genetically Modified Crops and Foods AdvantagesDisadvantages Need less fertilizer Unpredictable genetic and ecological effects Need less water Harmful toxins and new allergens in food More resistant to insects, disease, frost, and drought No increase in yields Grow faster More pesticide-resistant insects and herbicide-resistant weeds May need less pesticides or tolerate higher levels of herbicides Could disrupt seed market May reduce energy needs Lower genetic diversity

Advantages vs. Disadvantages May produce food plants that are more nutritious Develop crops resistant to pests/disease/drought/hot/cold/herbicides/a cidic-basic soils Develop disease resistant vaccines for livestock DID YOU KNOW … 2/3 of food products in US markets contain GM crops!

#4 Try New Foods Ant Larvae, waterbugs, caterpillers, cockroaches, butterflies, fried ants

I DON’T WANT TO EAT BUGS… Can we cultivate more land instead? Not really – most land is marginal land with poor fertility/steep slopes and would require high inputs of fertilizer/water/energy which are expensive.

How can we increase crop/stock yields? In developed countries: – Fertilizer – Pesticides – Selective breeding – Machinery GREEN REVOLUTION: increase food production per acre

Increase Livestock Yields by: hormone and antibiotic injections. European Union (EU) banned use due to health concerns BUT US/Canada still use practice

Should we continue Green Revolution techniques? – Without fertilizer, water, and pesticides green revolution varieties are no more productive than traditional varieties – Green revolution varieties and their needed inputs cost too much for subsistence farming. – Grain yields are increasing at a much slower pace. – Actual gains from green and gene revolutions may be overstated. – Crop yield may start dropping for a number of environmental reasons. – Increased loss of biodiversity can limit genetic raw material.

Tools to reduce hunger & malnutrition Slow population growth Reduce poverty Sustainable agriculture