Food and Agriculture: the Future of Sustainability
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Delve Deeper Into Food, Inc a Film by Robert Kenner
Delve Deeper into Food, Inc A film by Robert Kenner This multi-media resource list, Public Affairs, 2009. Expanding Second Nature: A Gardener's compiled by Susan Conlon and on the film’s themes, the book Education (1991). Martha Perry of the Princeton Food, Inc. will answer those Public Library, includes books, questions through a series of Richardson, Jill. Recipe for films and other materials challenging essays by leading America: Why Our Food System related to the issues presented experts and thinkers. This book will is Broken and What We Can Do in the film Food, Inc. encourage those inspired by the to Fix It. Ig Publishing, 2009. film to learn more about the issues, Food activist Jill Richardson shows In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert and act to change the world. how sustainable agriculture—where Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's local farms raise food that is food industry, exposing the highly Hamilton, Lisa M. Deeply healthy for consumers and animals mechanized underbelly that's been Rooted: Unconventional and does not damage the hidden from the American consumer Farmers in the Age of environment—offers the only with the consent of our Agribusiness. Counterpoint, solution to America’s food crisis. In government's regulatory agencies, 2009. Journalist and photographer addition to highlighting the harmful USDA and FDA. Our nation's food Hamilton presents a multicultural conditions at factory farms, this supply is now controlled by a snapshot of the American timely and necessary book details handful of corporations that often sustainable agriculture movement, the rising grassroots food put profit ahead of consumer profiling a Texas dairyman, a New movement, which is creating an health, the livelihood of the Mexican rancher and a North agricultural system that allows American farmer, the safety of Dakotan farmer, all who have people to eat sustainably, locally, workers and our own environment. -
Safe Use of Wastewater in Agriculture: Good Practice Examples
SAFE USE OF WASTEWATER IN AGRICULTURE: GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLES Hiroshan Hettiarachchi Reza Ardakanian, Editors SAFE USE OF WASTEWATER IN AGRICULTURE: GOOD PRACTICE EXAMPLES Hiroshan Hettiarachchi Reza Ardakanian, Editors PREFACE Population growth, rapid urbanisation, more water intense consumption patterns and climate change are intensifying the pressure on freshwater resources. The increasing scarcity of water, combined with other factors such as energy and fertilizers, is driving millions of farmers and other entrepreneurs to make use of wastewater. Wastewater reuse is an excellent example that naturally explains the importance of integrated management of water, soil and waste, which we define as the Nexus While the information in this book are generally believed to be true and accurate at the approach. The process begins in the waste sector, but the selection of date of publication, the editors and the publisher cannot accept any legal responsibility for the correct management model can make it relevant and important to any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, expressed or the water and soil as well. Over 20 million hectares of land are currently implied, with respect to the material contained herein. known to be irrigated with wastewater. This is interesting, but the The opinions expressed in this book are those of the Case Authors. Their inclusion in this alarming fact is that a greater percentage of this practice is not based book does not imply endorsement by the United Nations University. on any scientific criterion that ensures the “safe use” of wastewater. In order to address the technical, institutional, and policy challenges of safe water reuse, developing countries and countries in transition need clear institutional arrangements and more skilled human resources, United Nations University Institute for Integrated with a sound understanding of the opportunities and potential risks of Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources wastewater use. -
Combatting Monsanto
Picture: Grassroots International Combatting Monsanto Grassroots resistance to the corporate power of agribusiness in the era of the ‘green economy’ and a changing climate La Via Campesina, Friends of the Earth International, Combat Monsanto Technical data name: “Combatting Monsanto Grassroots resistance to the corporate power of agribusiness in the era of the ‘green economy’ and a changing climate” author: Joseph Zacune ([email protected]) with contributions from activists around the world editing: Ronnie Hall ([email protected]) design and layout: Nicolás Medina – REDES-FoE Uruguay March 2012 Combatting Monsanto Grassroots resistance to the corporate power of agribusiness in the era of the ‘green economy’ and a changing climate INDEX Executive summary / 2 Company profile - Monsanto / 3 Opposition to Monsanto in Europe / 5 A decade of French resistance to GMOs / 6 Spanish movements against GM crops / 9 German farmers’ movement for GM-free regions / 10 Organising a movement for food sovereignty in Europe / 10 Monsanto, Quit India! / 11 Bt brinjal and biopiracy / 11 Bt cotton dominates cotton sector / 12 Spiralling debt still triggering suicides / 12 Stopping Monsanto’s new public-private partnerships / 13 Resistance to Monsanto in Latin America / 14 Brazilian peasant farmers’ movement against agribusiness / 14 Ten-year moratorium on GM in Peru / 15 Landmark ruling on toxic soy in Argentina / 15 Haitians oppose seed aid / 16 Guatemalan networks warn of new biosafety proposals / 17 Battle-lines drawn in the United States / 17 Stopping the -
Integrated Farming Systems and Sustainable Agriculture in France P
Integrated Farming Systems and Sustainable Agriculture in France P. Viaux Technical Institute of Cereals and Forages (ITCF), Boigneville, France Abstract The concept of sustainable agriculture includes important components of economic, environmental, agricultural and social sustainability. To obtain a better under-standing of the concept and interactions of these components, trials were implemented in 1990 in different agroecological regions by ITCF and ACTA to compare the performance of conventional farming systems (CFS) with integrated farming systems (IFS). CFS is a cropping system that is commonly employed by many farmers and requires substantial off-farm inputs such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides. IFS is a low input system which attempts to minimize environmental impacts. Trials were established on farms of 15 to 75 hectares using large plots of 1 to 5 hectares to better evaluate the system’s feasibility, and its economic and environmental parameters. After four years, results for the IFS have shown that a significant reduction in production inputs and costs (25 to 37%) are possible, especially for agrichemicals. Compared with CFS, IFS strategies may lead to lower crop yields (up to 30%) although the economic net return is often higher because of lower production costs. However, studies will continue because there are many aspects of IFS that need to be improved to enhance the system’s economic viability, including intercropping, reduced tillage, and non-chemical weed and pest control. Introduction Agricultural productivity in France has made tremendous progress in the last 30 years, during which time crop yields have more than doubled. Nevertheless, these technological advances have not been achieved without great cost to the environment and to society. -
Wilson County, NC Agricultural Development Plan
Wilson County Agricultural Development Plan Sandy Maddox, Ed. D. December 2017 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 6 A Need for Action .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Overview of Wilson County ........................................................................................................................ 12 Wilson County Demographics ................................................................................................................. 13 Economy.................................................................................................................................................. 15 Cost of Services ....................................................................................................................................... 18 Infrastructure .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Education ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Natural Attributes .................................................................................................................................. -
PHOTOSYNTHESIS • Life on Earth Ultimately Depends on Energy Derived from the Sun
Garden of Earthly Delights or Paradise Lost? [email protected] Old Byzantine Proverb: ‘He who has bread may have troubles He who lacks it has only one’ Peter Bruegel the Elder: The Harvest (1565) (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. USA) PHOTOSYNTHESIS • Life on earth ultimately depends on energy derived from the sun. • Photosynthesis by green plants is the only process of Sucrose biological importance that can capture this energy. Starch Proteins • It provides energy, organic matter and Oils oxygen, and is the only sustainble energy source on our planet. WE DEPEND TOTALLY ON PLANTS TO SUSTAIN ALL OTHER LIFE FORMS 1 Agriculture the most important event in human history Agriculture critical to the future of our planet and humanity Agriculture is part of the knowledge based bio-economy of the 21st century Each Year the World’s Population will Grow by about ca. 75 Million People. The world population has doubled in the last 50 years 2008 Developing countries 1960 10% of the Population Lives 1927 on 0.5% of the World’s Income Developed countries 2 Four innovations brought about change in agriculture in the twentieth century.What are the innovations which will change agriculture in this century? Mechanisation: Tractors freed up perhaps 25 % of extra land to grow human food instead of fodder for draught horses and oxen; • Fertilisers: Fritz Haber’s 1913 invention of a method of synthesising ammonia transformed agricultural productivity, so that today nearly half the nitrogen atoms in your body were ‘fixed’ from the air in an ammonia factory, not in a soil bacterium; • Pesticides: Chemicals derived from hydrocarbons enabled farmers to grow high-density crops year after year without severe loss to pests and weeds; • Genetics: In the 1950s Norman Borlaug crossed a variety of dwarf wheat, originally from Japan, with a different Mexican strain to make dwarf wheats that responded to heavy fertilisation by producing more seeds, not longer stalks. -
Increase Food Production Without Expanding Agricultural Land
COURSE 2 Increase Food Production without Expanding Agricultural Land In addition to the demand-reduction measures addressed in Course 1, the world must boost the output of food on existing agricultural land. To approach the goal of net-zero expansion of agricultural land, improvements in crop and livestock productivity must exceed historical rates of yield gains. Chapter 10 assesses the land-use challenge, based on recent trend lines. Chapters 11–16 discuss possible ways to increase food production per hectare while adapting to climate change. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 10. Assessing the Challenge of Limiting Agricultural Land Expansion .............................147 Chapter 11. Menu Item: Increase Livestock and Pasture Productivity ........................................167 Chapter 12. Menu Item: Improve Crop Breeding to Boost Yields ..............................................179 Chapter 13. Menu Item: Improve Soil and Water Management ...............................................195 Chapter 14. Menu Item: Plant Existing Cropland More Frequently ........................................... 205 Chapter 15. Adapt to Climate Change ........................................................................... 209 Chapter 16. How Much Could Boosting Crop and Livestock Productivity Contribute to Closing the Land and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Gaps? .....................................................221 Creating a Sustainable Food Future 145 146 WRI.org CHAPTER 10 ASSESSING THE CHALLENGE OF LIMITING AGRICULTURAL LAND EXPANSION How hard will it be to stop net expansion of agricultural land? This chapter evaluates projections by other researchers of changes in land use and explains why we consider the most optimistic projections to be too optimistic. We discuss estimates of “yield gaps,” which attempt to measure the potential of farmers to increase yields given current crop varieties. Finally, we examine conflicting data about recent land-cover change and agricultural expansion to determine what they imply for the future. -
The Causes and Consequences of Agricultural Expansion in Matopiba
WORKING PAPER THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF AGRICULTURAL EXPANSION IN MATOPIBA ARTHUR BRAGANÇA JULY 2016 THEME AGRICULTURE KEYWORDS AGRICULTURE, DEVELOPMENT, AGRICULTURAL FRONTIER The Land Use Initiative (INPUT – Iniciativa para o Uso da Terra) is a dedicated team of specialists who work at the forefront of how to increase environmental protection and food production. INPUT engages stakeholders in Brazil’s public and private sec¬tors and maps the challenges for a better management of its natural resources. Research conducted under INPUT is generously sup¬ported by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) through a grant to the Climate Policy Initiative. www.inputbrasil.org 3 The Causes and Consequences of Agricultural Expansion in Matopiba∗ Arthur Bragançay CPI July 2016 Abstract This paper examines the causes and consequences of the agricultural expansion in Matopiba (Brazil) over the past two decades. It documents that agricultural expansion in this region is concentrated in municipalities in the Cerrado biome. The estimates indicate that since the late 1990s agricultural output is increasing faster in municipal- ities in this biome when compared to municipalities outside the biome. Agricultural expansion led to increases in GDP per capita. The increase in GDP per capita is a re- sult of direct effects on the agricultural sector as well as indirect effects on services sector. The estimates also suggest that municipalities in the biome experienced larger gains in the access to durable consumer goods such as TV and refrigerator and in ba- sic infrastructure such as access to electric power. However, the results do not indicate differential changes in migration and human capital investments between Cerrado and non-Cerrado municipalities. -
Towards Climate Smart Farming—A Reference Architecture for Integrated Farming Systems
Article Towards Climate Smart Farming—A Reference Architecture for Integrated Farming Systems Georgios Kakamoukas 1 , Panagiotis Sarigiannidis 1,* , Andreas Maropoulos 1, Thomas Lagkas 2 , Konstantinos Zaralis 3 and Chrysoula Karaiskou 1 1 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, 50100 Kozani, Greece; [email protected] (G.K.); [email protected] (A.M.); [email protected] (C.K.) 2 Department of Computer Science, Kavala Campus, International Hellenic University, 65404 Thessaloniki, Greece; [email protected] 3 Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Macedonia, 50100 Kozani, Greece; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Climate change is emerging as a major threat to farming, food security and the livelihoods of millions of people across the world. Agriculture is strongly affected by climate change due to increasing temperatures, water shortage, heavy rainfall and variations in the frequency and intensity of excessive climatic events such as floods and droughts. Farmers need to adapt to climate change by developing advanced and sophisticated farming systems instead of simply farming at lower intensity and occupying more land. Integrated agricultural systems constitute a promising solution, as they can lower reliance on external inputs, enhance nutrient cycling and increase natural resource use efficiency. In this context, the concept of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) emerged as a promising solution to secure the resources for the growing world population under climate change conditions. This work proposes a CSA architecture for fostering and supporting integrated agricultural systems, such as Mixed Farming Systems (MFS), by facilitating the design, the deployment and the management of Citation: Kakamoukas, G.; crop–livestock-=forestry combinations towards sustainable, efficient and climate resilient agricultural Sarigiannidis, P.; Maropoulos, A.; systems. -
Interaction Between Cultivation and Livestock Production in Semi-Arid
13 The Interaction Between Cultivation and Livestock Production in Senmi-Arid Africa R.L. McCowN, G. HAVAAND, and C. DE HAAN 13.1 Introduction Although the majority of people in semi-arid Africa sustain themselves primarily by growing crops, this means of production is not pri:uticed by all, nor is it the sole means practiced by the majority. Because of inadequate rainfall and high evaporation rates, average crop yields are low, and the risk of crop failure Traditionally the inhabitants of is high. these regions have relied on domestic grazing animals to supplemenr their food supply. The ultimate degree of this embodied in pure pastoralism: dependence is however, semi-arid Afica has a wide variation, both in the nature and range of the degree of economic dependency on livestock. From the title of this chapter, the reader might reasonably expect a survey of current importance of livestock the in the agricut,iral regions of semi-arid Africa. even if we had the African experience But and relevant literatuie at our command attempt such a survey, it is to unlikely that this would be the most useful contribution. Instead, an attempt sort of is made to isolate the different types relationship or linkage that of characterize the interaction between cultivation livestock production and to consider and the conditions under which each linkage be expected to occur. Eight can cases from summer rainfall, semi-arid zones (Fig. 13.1) are described which of Africa demonstrate various configurations of existing production systems, linkages in together with the conditions under which developed. Finally, the trends they have in the forms of linkages from an evolutionary standpoint are considered. -
Research and Education for the Development of Integrated Crop-Livestock-Fishfarming Systems in the Tropics DEC 2 1
S'H ICLARM STUDIESAND REVIEWS16 I. 207 I SR76 #.16 C.t 1 Research and Education for the Development of , r Integrated Crop-livestock-Fish Farming t \ Systems in the Tropics P. Edwards R.S.V. Pullin J.A. Gartner I If - I:' '!Io, .. .... \D ',- .'. , r . ~ _frl~TERNATIONAL C~NTER FOR LIVING AQUATIC RESOURCES MANAG.EMENT , " i ' :1 i I .I earch and Education for the Development of Integrated Crop-Livestock-Fish Farming Systems in the Tropics J.A. Gartner INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR LIVING AQUATIC RESOURCES MANAGEMENT MANILA, PHILIPPINES Research and education for the development of integrated crop-livestock-fishfarming systems in the tropics DEC 2 1 P. EDWARDS R.S.V. hum J. A. GARTNER Published by the International Center for Living Aauatic Reswrces Mana~ement.MC P.O. Box 1501. ~hcati,Metm Manila, Pklippiis with fmancid assistance from the United Nations Development Programme New York. USA Printed in Manila. Philippines Edwards. P.. R.S.V. Pullin and J.A. Gamer. 1988. Research and education for the development of integrated cmp-livestock-fish farming systems in the tropics. ICLARM Studies and Reviews 16.53 p. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, Manila, Philippines. ISSN 01 15-4389 ISBN 97 1-1022-46-X Cover: Small-scale integrated crop-livestock-fish farming in a rainfed area of Northeast ?hailand. ?his ria farm has a small fishpond that provides fish. pennits dry season cultivation of vegetables on rhe dikes and suppliis drinking water for livestock. ICLARM Contribution No. 470 Contents Preface ................................................. Introduction .............................................. The Concept of Integrated Farming Systems A Definition of Integrated Farming ........................... -
Dakota Olson Hometown
Evaluating the Effect of Management Practices on Soil Moisture, Aggregation and Crop Development By: Dakota Olson Hometown: Keswick, IA The World Food Prize Foundation 2014 Borlaug-Ruan International Internship Research Center: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) Location: El Batan, Mexico P a g e | 2 Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………..3 Background Information………………………………………………………………………..4 CIMMYT Research Institute The Dr. Borlaug Legacy (in relation to CIMMYT) Discuss the long-term project of CIMMYT (1999-2014) Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………5 Introduction to Field Management Practices Objectives Conservation Agriculture Program Procedures and Methodology………………………………………………………………….6 The Field Plot Technical Skills o Yield Calculations o Time to Pond Measurements o Calculating Volumetric Water Content Results……………………………………………………………………………………………8 Objective 1: Effect of Tillage Method and Crop Residue on Soil Moisture Objective 2: Effect of Tillage Method and Crop Residue on Crop Yield Objective 3: Relationship between Time to Pond and Crop Yield Analysis of Results…………………………………………………………………………….11 Discussion, Conclusion, and Recommendations…………………………………………..15 Personal Experiences…………………………………………………………………………17 Pictures…………………………………………………………………………………………20 References and Citations…………………………………………………………………….21 P a g e | 3 Preface and Acknowledgements My success at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) would not be possible without the multitude of supporters that allowed me to pursue this incredible opportunity. A massive thank-you to the World Food Prize Organization and the staff and supporters that supply hundreds of youth and adults across the world with empowerment and opportunities to play as a stake-holder in international development issues. A big thank- you to Lisa Fleming of the World Food Prize Foundation for playing an integral role in the success of my international internship while in Mexico.