Food Issues Are there still “food issues”, or have we gotten away from the pattern seen in Green History of the World?

1974 – Henry Kissinger, Sec. State USA “By 1984, no man, woman, or child will go to bed hungry” – World Food Summit, Rome, 186 countries Goal set to reduce the number of hungry by half by – UN Food and Agriculture Organization Food Summit goal is not likely to be reached because the “momentum is too slow and the progress too uneven” billion people are undernourished and underweight (~20% of global population)

So what are the issues? Food What makes a healthy diet? What is the composition of world’s food? Where does it come from? What is the current status of world food supplies? What should we expect from future food production? Hunger What is it? What causes it? Can we do anything about it? Should we do anything about it?

#1 What makes a healthy diet? USDA

In terms of nutrients: Carbohydrates = starches and sugars - used for energy - gotten from plants Fats = fats and oils - used for energy storage, cell membranes, protection - from animal products and plant oils Proteins - contain amino acids – 20 total, 9 essential - essential = must bet from diet, body can’t make - complete protein = has all essential amino acids in approx. proportions needed by human body - building blocks of most tissues - from animal products, grains, legumes Vitamins and minerals - essential for healthy tissues and functioning

#2 What is the composition of world’s food? Of thousands of edible plants and animals in the world, only - a dozen seeds and grains, -3 root crops, -20 or so fruits and vegetables, -6 mammals, -2 domestic fowl, -a few fish and other forms of marine life make up almost all of the food humans eat. Crop1995 yield (mil metric tons) Rice550 Wheat541 Maize (corn)541 Cassava and sweet potato286 Potatoes281 Barley and oats170 Sorghum and millet84 Pulses (legumes + peas and beans) 56 Vegetables and fruits884 Sugar (cane and beet)119 Vegetable oils91 Meat and milk741 Fish and seafood110

#2 Where in the World Did It Come From? NamePlace of OriginTop 4 food sources (tons) 1.Potato 2. Black walnut 3. Pinto beans 4.Winter squash 5.Oats 6.Concord grapes 7.Coffee 8.Corn 9.Carrots 10.Lima beans 11.Cabbage 12.Orange 13.Wheat 14.Tomato 15.Blueberry 16.Rice 17.Peanuts 18.Soybeans 19.Kidney beans 20.Peas 21.Cranberry 22.Apple

Where in the World Did It Come From? And the answers are... Any surprises? NamePlace of OriginTop 4 food sources (tons)1995 tons 1.PotatoS.A. (Peru)# Black walnutN.A. (UA) 3. Pinto beansS.A. 4.Winter squashS.A. 5.OatsAsia, Africa 6.Concord grapesN.A.(USA) 7.CoffeeAfrica (Ethiopia) 8.CornMexico# CarrotsAfrica, Europe, Asia 10.Lima beansTropical America 11.CabbageEngland, Denmark 12.OrangeAsia (China) 13.WheatAsia, Africa# TomatoS.A. 15.Blueberry N.A.(USA) 16.RiceAsia# PeanutsS.A. (Brazil) 18.SoybeansChina, India, Japan 19.Kidney beansS.A. 20.PeasEurope, Asia 21.Cranberry N.A.(USA) 22.AppleEurope, Asia

Where does it come from really? – farming Earth’s total free land = 33.6 B acres (13.6 B ha) 11% easily used for crops 10% used for grazing What about the rest?

Where does it come from really? – fish and seafood Most of ocean is nutrient poor Marine catch from 4 main areas –Estuaries –Continenetal shelf upwellings –Coastal wetlands –Coral reefs

#4 What is the current status of world food supplies?grains Growth of 3% per year - 50s and 60s growth exceeded population WHY?

What is the current status of world food supplies? fish Peak world production in 1989 Since 1989, has decreased by 5%

What should we expect from future food production? Things to consider: –Environmental destruction –Population –New technology

Biodiversity loss -Loss and degradation of habitat from clearing, draining, and overuse -Fish kills from pesticide runoff -Killing of wild predators to protect livestock -Loss of genetic diversity from replacing wild crops with few monoculture strains Soil degradation - Erosion - Loss of fertility - Salinization - Waterlogging - Desertification Air pollution - Greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use - Other fossil fuel pollutants - Pollution from pesticide and herbicide sprays

Water - Aquifer depletion - Increased runoff and flooding from clearing land - Sediment pollution - Fish kills from pesticide runoff - Surface and groundwater pollution from pesticides and fertilizers - Overfertilization of lakes and rivers from fertilizers, livestock wastes, and food processing Human Health -Nitrates in drinking water -Pesticides in drinking water, food, and air -Contamination of drinking and swimming water with disease organisms from livestock wastes -Bacterial contamination of meat

Population effect on per capita production grain

Population effect on per capita production fish

Estimates of human population carrying capacity with maximum use of available land and varying inputs of water, fertilizer, and energy.

#5 Hunger - What is it? Premature death - 40 mil/year die from hunger and hunger-related diseases - Starvation = suffering and death from too little nourishment - Famine = widespread starvation Emotions? - Anguish, grief, fear - Powerlessness

Malnutrition = too little of specific nutrients Marasmus = not enough of either Kwashiorkor = enough calories, not enough protein

#6 Hunger - What causes it? All hungry people have one characteristic in common – they are poor. Hunger exists because people lack the political and economic power to fight it. The root cause of hunger isn’t scarcity of food or land; it’s a scarcity of democracy.

Interactions of poverty, malnutrition and disease

# 7 Can we do anything about it?

Should we do anything about it?